
Class. 
Book- 
Copyright N". 



F7R 6 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSnV 




JAMES A. LITTLE 



WHAT I SAW 



ON THE 



OLD SANTA FE TRAIL. 



Caravans of Prairie 

Schooners, Forty Wag'ons. Five-hundred 

Oxen, Millions of Buffaloes, Thousands of Wild Horses, 

Antelopes. Big Grey Wolves and Cayotes, Prairie Dog Towns and Jack 

Rabbits, Rattle Snakes. Lizai-ds and Centepedes, Savage 

Indians and Mexicans, Strange Sights 

Crossing the Desert. 



A Condensed Story of Frontier Life 
Half a Century Ago. 



BY 



JAMES A. LITTLE. 

CARTERSBURG, INDIANA. 



THE FBIENUS PRESS 
PliAINETELD. INDIANA. 



flH 



V 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Copies Received 

APR 11 1904 

Copyriffht Entry 

A ^a^. 1. ] - ! Ci ^ 

CLASS ^ XXc. No. 

<r i- 3i o 3 

COPY B 



Entered according to Act of Congress in the 

year of our Lord 1904, 

By James A. Little. 

Tn the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at 

Washington. 



• • • » ^ 

« a • 

« • • •• 







\ 



nX 



V 



^ 

^ 



^ 



DEDICATION. 

This book is dedicated to the now 
Mrs, Elizabeth (Thayer) Mendenhall, 
daughter of the Superintendent of the 
Quaker Mission in 1854, 



A STATEMENT. 



It is a strange coincident that I started on my trip across 
the plains on the first of May 1851 and it so happened that 
fifty years later, on the first day of May 1901, the date of 
issue, I tell my story for the first time in book form. Of 
course I have occasionally referred to my exi>erience, giv- 
ing short accounts of the trip, but I found that jt was a 
difficult matter to interest people by telling in a disconnect- 
ed way, short sections of a long story. The story given in 
this book, as relateSr'to'tSelOM Santa Fe Trail, was writ- 
ten for the Danville, (Ind.) I^epubliean, at the request of 
editor JiAian'b.^kogaVe'to Who^n^^ ain under inan^^ obliga- 
tion^ "fc5?'-klrfffi^^^"*sh6\Vi8iS& Wr gpti^*'s=6'gfene^ously giv- 
en ii^4is i>kpeA'^'-$&'T^aVk'^''t^/tti'y i^4?ntion'ii^J^n^is"' story 
was written to put it iaibiot^'k f^rniioVcI'^vJ^ats ^©itoe^tlojat sur- 
prised at the interest with v/hich it was being read and 
being commented upon by the public, v.ho previously was 
not aware that I had ever been outside of my native state. 

I was in Danville a short time after a number of chap- 
ters had appeared and was congratulated by almost all of 
my friends, many expressions of surprise were heard. I 
was advised by a number of professional and business 
men to put my story into book form. I became more than 
ever interest myself, and asked Mr. Hogate's advice in the 
matter. He hesitated somewhat, but said I would have to 
elaborate and make a larger book by continuing the story. 
I took his advice and buckled down to writing again. I 



have written about the Quaker Mission Family: Incidents 
of Indian Life: Customs of Indians: Indian Churches: A 
Visit to Shotos; Allotment of Indian Lands: Annuity Mon- 
ey Accruing- from Sale of Lands: Indian Twins, as well as 
giving a brief biography of men whom I consider were the 
three greatest heroes figuring in the "Border Ruffian" or 
Kansas Troubles. First, I name Richard Mendenhall, who 
believed the pen mightier than the sword. Second. I give a 
condensed biography of Old John Brown — his birth and 
career as a business man in Ohio, his daring* acts in Kan- 
sas: insurrection at Harper's Ferry: his execution at 
Charleston on the scaffold, November 2nd, 1S59. A con- 
densed history of Jim Lane, giving place of his birth, mil- 
itary-a«idciTU.3.tf^ja^ing.aindthe.part he took in the Kansas 
Horde's Riii§:^jj Wai.rf are, antd i|is idejath,, v , 



* * * ^ 7 felt that a great respon- 
siMlity was resting on me for withhold- 
ing information that would enlighten future 
generations. My mind became greatly ex- 
ercised in the matter so that I could scarcely 
sleep at night. But finally a faint voice 
seemed to whisper and say, ''Write a book! 
Write a book!'' 



PREFACE 

What I have vrvitten in this series of articles is 
the plain truth. I doubt if a man could be found 
living today who crossed the plains on the old 
Santa Fe road in as earlj^ day as I. Some of the 
facts recorded here have never been recorded in 
any history of Kansas or any account of the old 
road. There can never again be a repetition of the 
scenes. Tliere will never again be great caravans 
of prairie schooners slowly wending their way 
across "the great American desert." The old 
Santa Fe road is almost obliterated. Cities and 
towns have sprung up. Dwellings, school houses 
and churches decorate the prairie. Horace Greely 
crossed the plains six years later than I. In his 
comments he said: "There were more buffalo in 
sight than there are cattle in Illinois." So I 
offer no other reason for this personal history of 
pioneer days. 

James A. Little. 



ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. 

It is with pleasure that I acknowledge to 
Julian D. Hogate my appreciation of kindness 
manifested by him in giving space in the Dan- 
ville Republican, for the publication of my 
articles relating to my experiences on the 
Old Santa Fe Trail. I also thank the profes- 
sional business men and citizens of Danville, 
and elsewhere for advice and encouragement 
in putting my articles in book form. 

James A. Little. 



Contents. 



PAGE 

CHAPTER I. 
The Days Before the War. First Introduction to 
Human Slavery in Missouri. 11 

CHAPTER II. 
Toward the Old Trail. Mr. Little had more Experi- 
ence with Slavery. 17 
CHAPTER III. 

* Starting on the Trail. Experience in Selecting- 

Oxen for the Wagons. 22 

CHAPTER IV. 
■* Toward the South-west. Peace Made. The old 

Trail. 28 

CHAPTER V. 
To the South-west. The Ti'ain Meets Indians. 
Millions of Buffalo. 33 

CHAPTER VI. 
Into the Desert. Hard Times on the Trail. The 
Blessings of Water. 39 

CHAPTER VII. 
"^ Nature's Secrets. Bones of Men and Animals 

Along th« Trail. 43 



PAGE. 

CHAPTER VIII. 
The Trail in the Desert. Wolves and Wild Horses 

Vary the Monotony. 46 

CHAPTER IX 
At Albuquerque. The Sugar Passes Inspection. 
Spanish Waltzing-. 50 

CHAPTER X. 
Homeward Bound. An Affair of Honor Settled. 
Cattle Lost. 5i 

CHAPTER XI. 
The Buffalo Country Reached. Fresh Water Found. 

Sport with the Buffalo Renewed. 57 

CHAPTER XII. 
Hunting Buffalo the Great Sport of the Western 

Country. 61 

CHAPTER XIII. 
Small-pox Breaks out. Mr. Little Deserts the Train 
and Travels Alone. 68 

CHAPTER XIV. 
A Dash from the Indians. When A Lone Trader 
Found and Food Secured. 70 

CHAPTER XV. 
Gating Back to Civilization. The Kaw Agency 
and the Quaker Mission Reached. 73 

CHAPTER XVI. 
The Kansas Trouble. The First Assault ever made. 
Border Ruffians. Beginning of the Civil War. 76^ 

CHAPTER XVII. 
Gets his Money. Ten Dollars Bonus for Driving 
Without Swearing. 79 



PAGE, 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
Life at the Mission. Amusing- Incidents with the 

Indians. 81 

CHAPTER XIX. 
Quaker Mission Family. A Visit to Shotos. An 
Effort to Civilize Indian Girls. 84 

CHAPTER XX. 
Indians Recieve Land and Money. Dr. Barker 
Superintendent of Baptist Mission. Indian 
Camp Meeting. Indian Twins, 89 

CHAPTER XXI 
Emigrants Aid Society. Contest Between the North 
and South Begins. Changing the Name of Town, 94 

CHAPTER XXII. 
Richard Mendenhall a Quaker Hero. 100 

CHAPTER XXIII. 
L. X. Aubra A Great Character, 106 

CHAPTER XXIV. 
Old John Brown. 110 

CHAPTER XXV, 
James Lane. 123 



The Old Santa Fe Trail. 



It wound throuo'h strange scarred hills, 

down canons lone 
Where wild things screamed, with winds 

for company; 
Its mile-stones were the bones of pioneers. 
Bronzed, haggard men, often with thirst 

a-moan, 
Lashed on their beasts of burden toward 

the sea; 
An epic quest it was of elder years, 
For fabled gardens or for good, red gold. 
The trail men strove in iron days of old. 

To-day the steam-god thunders through the 

vast, 
While dominant Saxons from the hurtling 

trains 
Smile at the aliens, Mexic, Indian, 
Who offer wares, keen-colored, like their 

past; 
Dread dramas of immitigable plains 
Rebuke the softness of the modern man: 
No menace, now, the desert's mood of sand: 
Still westward lies a green and golden 

land. 

For, at the magic touch of water, blooms 
The wilderness, and where of yore the yoke 
Tortured the toilers into dateless tombs, 
Lo ! brightsome fruits to feed a mighty folk. 

Richard Burton in February Century 



CHAPTER I. 



THE DAYS BEFORE THE WAR. 



INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN SLAVERY IN MISSOURI. 

When I was a boy, I always had a great desire to 
go west, not to fight the Indians but to see the 
country. It did not seem to me that it would be 
wise after I had learned all there was to be learned 
in Indiana to remain any longer. Already I had 
traveled a great deal. I w^ent with my father to 
mill to Indianapolis. We drove an ox team and 
stayed over night at Underwood's Mill. My father 
took me with him to Jeffersonville on a visit. In 
1847 I hired to Wilfred Ungles, of Belleville, and 
helped to drive the last hogs that w^ere driven to 
Cincinnati from Hendricks county. We were treat- 
ed to a visit to Old Mother English's museum and 
saw the infernal regions. The noted flood of '47 
was on when we arrived. We came down the river 
to Madison on a boat and took steam cars for In- 
dianapolis. We started in the morning and reach- 
ed Indianapolis late in the evening and then walked 
out home, arrived home about midnight. My rec- 



12 What I Saw ox the 

oUection is that we were gone about three weeks. 
Ungles had bought the hogs of the farmers on 
credit and never did pay for them. He pretended 
he was broken up, but he took considerable money 
with him when he left the country. I worked on 
the Vandaha road for a while, my father having a 
small construction- contract. When the road was 
completed to Terre Haute, I started west. There 
were no railroads in Illinois and passengers and 
mail were conveyed by stages. I started to walk 
to Iowa. The roads were very muddy^ and the 
wind was very strong. The prairies were thinly 
settled. In some sections, it was eight or ten miles 
between houses which were mostly along streams 
and timber. Growing tired of walking, I staged it 
part of the way, but I might as well have walked, 
for the stage did not go as fast as I could walk. At 
last we reached the Mississippi river and crossed 
over to Burlington, Iowa. There I bought a stage 
ticket to Mt. Pleasant, twenty-six miles west. 
When the stage reached the hotel next morning, it 
was crowded. Another young fellow and I got on 
top with the trunks. When the stage ascended the 
hill, there v*'as an open prairie and the wind had a 
fair sweep with a heavy snow storm. My partner 
got inside the stage but I remained on top until I 
was almost frozen when I got inside and lay across 
the laps of the ladies. I took a severe cold which 
terminated in bronchitis from which I have never 
recovered. I visited many places including Des 
Moines which was then only a small town. I took 
the measles at Crawfordsville and came near dying. 



Old Santa Fe Trail 13 

The doctors treated the case as if it were fever. I 
made them put me in a barrel of warm water which 
brought the measles out and saved my life. 

The following autumn, I drifted to north eastern 
Missouri, Nearly half the people were from the 
northern states but there were a good many slaves 
scattered over the country. One day while walk- 
ing along the road, a negro with a yoke of oxen 
came along on a load of lumber. He had been to 
mill and in some manner had procured some whis- 
key. He had taken enough to make him talk. He 
asked me to ride. He asked me where I was from. 
I told him I w^as from Indiana. He asked if In- 
diana was a slave or free state. Then he asked me 
what I thought about slavery and he quoted Scrip- 
ture at considerable length. He offered to share 
his whiskey but I told him that I never touched it. 
I afterwards learned that the negro belonged to an 
old judge who was very hard on his slaves. I re- 
mained a number of days in this locality and one 
day I was invited by the man w^ith whom I was 
stopping to go to a barn raising at the judge's. I 
saw the negro at the barn raising but he never 
raised his head to look at me. I learned after- 
wards that it was a lucky thing that I did not speak 
to him. Two or three days later my host asked me 
if I knev/ there was an effort in the neighborhood 
to form a mob to lynch me. I asked w^hy. He said 
I was a stranger and had been seen riding with a 
negro. He referred to a crowd that had been seen 
at his house on Sunday evening. He said the pur- 
pose of their visit was to draw me out to ascertain 



14 What I Sav/ on the 

if I was an Abolitionist. I had remarked that I 
was opposed to slavery- They knew there was an 
underground railway from Missouri into northern 
Iowa and in trying to find out if I was connected 
with it, they had asked me if I was in certain towns 
along the line. It so happened that I had been in 
Crawfordsville, Iowa, which was a main station 
and I remembered that runaway slaves were con- 
cealed in a cellar under Mr. Rankin's house. My 
host said that Mr. Huntsucker, one of the men who 
questioned me on that Sunday evening had can- 
vassed the county to raise a mob but there were 
about as many northern people as southern and as 
he had met opposition he had dropped the matter. 
I saw Mr. Huntsucker several times afterwards 
and he seemed to show great respect. I learned 
the lesson to be careful how I talked, as strangers 
were closely watched. 

Late in the fall I decided to return to Indiana, 
and walking to the Mississippi I crossed it, and by 
wagon and stage reached Terre Haute and there 
took the Vandalia for Cartersburg. My friends 
looked on me as a much traveled man. I had been 
to what was then the far west. 

After a time I decided to return to the west. I 
I went to St. Louis and then walked to Indepen- 
dence, ten miles east of Kansas City by way of St. 
Charles, where it is said old Daniel Boone died. 
I followed the meanderings of the Missouri river 
to Independence, Mo. There is as rich a country 
along the Missouri river as can be found in Ameri- 
ca. The people had slaves and raised much hemp. 



Old Santa F^ Trail 15 

Hemp raising was profitable as it gave employment 
all the year to the slaves. Men and women were 
worked in fields together. Of course there was an 
overseer who rode a horse, went armed and carried 
a whip. It seemed cruel to me as I was not accus- 
tomed to such sights. One of the strangest char- 
acteristics of the slave holders was their hospital- 
ity. I could always depend on getting to stay over 
night and seldom had a bill to pay in the morning. 
I never allowed them to be more generous than I 
in the payment of a bill. If they knocked off half I 
knocked off the other half. The hospitality of the 
slave holders extended only to those who were not 
in need and not too deser zing needy. They were 
very fond of company to pass the time away and 
they liked to learn of the customs of northern peo- 
ple. One day as I was walking along the road, a 
clever looking young man drove up behind me in a 
buggy and invited me to ride. I rode with him sev- 
eral miles to the home of his mother. I accepted 
his invitation to stay over night and also remained 
over Sabbath, of course. I preferred not to break 
the Sabbath. In those days I liked to observe 
these days as days of rest. AVlien we drove up in 
front of his mother's house, three slaves raced out 
and begged the privilege of taking care of the horse. 
He gave the X3 reference to the one who reached the 
buggy first. Their contest showed how they were 
trying to x^lease him and win his confidence. The 
young man^s mother owned a large number of 
slaves whose cabins were on both sideis of the door 
yard. There were negroes of all ages and sizas. 



16 Vv^HAT I Saw on the 

Little black children swarmed out like children out 
of a school-house. 

I can not better describe it than to call it a Mid- 
way. Sunday morning was the time the old lady 
issued rations. It was an interesting sight. A 
large table was placed in front of the smoke-house 
in the rear of the dw^elling. The bacon and meal 
were brought out and the old lady with a large 
butcher knife in hand called them singly and by 
families to come and received their weekly allow^- 
ance. A very old negress w^as called. ' She look- 
ed as if she might be a hundred years old. I 
never sav/ a better expanple of humility. The 
mistress with an evident air of scorn on her count- 
enance handed the aged woman a scanty allow- 
ance with the exclamation: "Take this; and mind, 
if you do not make this last until next Sunday 
you will have to starve again." The mistress 
questioned me a good deal about the customs of 
northern people. She asked me if white men mar- 
ry "niggers," and if "niggers" went to church 
with white w^omen. I told her it was not the cus- 
tom in my country. She said she knew it was so, 
that a northern man had told her so. She asked 
me if northern women do their ow'n work. I told 
her they did. Said she: "Well they can not be 
respectable then." She was nursing a little grand- 
child whose mother w^as dead. The little one had 
been burned and she was treating it. She ex- 
claimed: "If I had no colored woman to do my 
house- work, what would I do with t? is little afltiict- 
ed child?" 



CHAPTER II. 



TOWARD THE TRAIL. 



MR LITTLE HAD MORE EXPERIENCES WITH 

SLAVERY. 

Monday morning, I shouldered my knapsack 
and trudged along. The adage, "Time is money," 
had no application in my case. As I passed through 
Pettis county, I learned that a young slave had 
been burned at the stake for alleged crime of hav- 
ing murdered a famJly of three or four people in 
order to rob the house. His accuser was his young 
master. The punishment was a public affair in 
daylight with no attempt to conceal the identity of 
those who took part in it. The negro pleaded his 
innocence to the last. When I reached the country 
a great reaction had taken place and most i)eople 
believe him innocent and many thought his young 
master guilty. The following summer when I was 
crossing the plains, I was on guard one night with 
a man v/e called Tom. We were guarding cattle. 
After they had filled themselves and lain down, 
Tom and I got into conversation. He told me his 
home was in Pettis county. Mo. I told him of 



16 What I saw ox the 

passing through the county and related the story 
of the negro. He said he knew all about it for he 
had led the mob but he wanted no more experi- 
ences of that kind. 

I reached Independence, Mo., on the last day of 
March. The place was laid out by the Mormons at 
an early day. Independence is ten miles below Kan- 
sas City and some three or four miles from the 
river. Westport was a lively village south of Kan- 
sas City. It was a great trading point for the 
Indians. Kansas City was only a boat landing 
or trading post. There were some old ware- 
houses on the river and the business was nearly all 
done by tlie three McGee brothers. All these 
towns were on the frontier and Independence was 
the principal starting point for people going to 
California. The idea prevailed that a large train 
of wagons had to cross the plains as a protection 
from the Indians. California immigrants would 
start from the states in the fall and winter at Inde- 
pendence so as to start together as soon as there 
was grass enough. So many immigrants camped 
around Independence that a great mai^ket was 
afforded for the farmers and the merchants. The 
immigrants were compelled to pay high prices and 
money was plentiful. Nearly every man on the 
frontier had been to California. Lots of gold was 
brought back and put into circulation. It was rare- 
ly that any money save gold was seen. 

My intention was to get in with a train as helper 
and cross to California. It was a month too soon 
for trains to start and I was advised to go to work 



Old Sx\xta Fe Trail 19 

on a farm so as to toughen up before starting. So I 
hired to a farmer to work a month. He had recent- 
ly married a woman who owned land and slaves. I 
went home with him and ate supper and breakfast 
with him and his wife. He put me to work with 
the negroes cutting corn stalks. I worked until 
noon, and when I went to the house for dinner he 
stood in the door when I attempted to enter and 
told me I would take my meals with the slaves who 
occupied quarters in a room near-by. I stepped 
back and told him if he would step out, I would 
thrash him but he did not come. Pretty soon he 
sent out a white man and paid me and I left but I 
missed my dinner that day. I went ten miles west 
and hired to a man named Manion whose farm was 
on a highway on the Missouri and Kansas line. 
Mr. Manion was a loud Baptist preacher. He had 
a good farm which he worked with slaves. He also 
carried on a large repair shop. He did an exten- 
sive business repairing old Mexican wagons. The 
Mexicans were experts in the way of mending al- 
most any part of their wagons with rawhide with 
the hair on and wrapped spokes, felloes, single 
trees or any other part very tight with it and when 
the strips dried, they shrunk and dented the wood. 
There was a wagon-load of rawhide whang in a pile 
at his shop. Mr. Manion had four slaves, three 
men and a boy. One of the men worked in the 
shop and the others worked on the farm. The first 
work I did was to break an eighteen acre field with 
a pair of mules, they walked very fast and the 
plow was large. The field Was square and perfect;- 



20 What I Saw on the 

ly level. I commenced on Monday morning and 
finished Saturday evening. Wlien Mr. Manion 
asked me liov/ I was getting along, I told him I 
had finished and he could hardly believe me as he 
said his slaves never finished it in less than two 
weeks. I remained with him until planting time. 
A v>'hite man was always boss when working the 
slaves so I had the honor of being overseer. The 
slaves called me ''Massa Little." They took a great 
liking to me as I had treated them like white men. 
Manion had not had the negro boy whose name 
was Dabney very long but had recently secured 
him at St. Louis by trading a mulatto for him. 
There was considerable of a romance connected 
vrith this. One rainy day, Dabney, Manion \s own 
boy, Charley, a^bout the age and size of Dabney, 
and myself were shelling corn and Dabney gave us 
a history of his life. He said his parents were 
free and lived near Quincy, Ills. He said he was 
playing in the road with a ball and two men came 
in a carriage and picked him up and drew knives 
over him and told him, if he made any noise they 
would kill him. They drove rapidly to the river 
at Quincy where a boat was about to start to St. 
Louis. They sold him to a slave-buyer. The 
mulatto that Manion had taken to St. Louis was 
born of a white woman in Kentucky and was smug- 
gled off and bound to a man south of where Manion 
lived before the mulatto was twenty -one years of 
age. The man died and his widow sold the two or 
three years that he lacked of being free to Mr. 
Manion who worked him a year or two over his 



Old Santa Fe Trail 21 

time. He was said to be a handsome, intelligent 
mulatto. When he served out his time, Mr. Man- 
ion proposed to buy him a suit of clothes and take 
him to St. Louis and recommend him to a big 
hotel as a 'bus-driver.' That suited the mulatto 
and he went with Manion but instead of taking 
him to a hotel, he showed him to the buyer who 
owned Dabney. He swapped the mulatto for 
Dabney and $50Q to boot and invested the money 
in a fine carriage which he brought back with 
Dabney. I had the honor of riding to church to 
hear Rev. Manion preach. The deal of Mr. Man- 
ion was known by the neighbors who regarded 
it as a shrewd trick. I often heard the expression 
that Manion sent one damned free negro south. 
Manion's son, Charley, promised to write to Dab- 
ney's folks but I never knevv^ whether he did. 
There was a great antipathy against free negroes. 
I was later informed that Manion went with a 
train across the plains and that he died on the way 
back and was buried there. 



CHAPTER III. 



STARTING ON TRAIL. 



EXPEKIENCE IN SELECTING OXEN POK THE 

WAGONS. 

In a letter from liome, I learned that Richard 
Mendenhall, of Plainiield, had been sent to the 
Friends Mission as a teacher, also that Cyrus Rog- 
ers had secured an appointment as boss farmer to 
teach the Indian boys how to farm. The Mission 
was four or five miles west of Manion's. But be- 
fore leaving Missouri I will give another experience. 
I found many people on the frontier afflicted with 
what was known as the "prairie scratches." In 
Indiana we called it itch which I named it after I 
had diagnosed my own case. It was no secret and 
no disgrace for nearly everybody had it. It culti- 
vated a habit of industry and gave employment to 
many idle hands. I concluded to try to rid myself 
of it. So I consulted an old gentleman and he told 
me to boil down a lot of poke root into a strong tea 
and bathe all over in it. I dug the roots and stole 
an old pot and crossed the road into Kansas into a 
dense thicket. It was just the location I thought 



Old Santa Fe Trail 25 

to start a pest house. I made the tea and removed 
my clothing and gave myself a swabbing all over. 
Welts raised all over me. I raved and rode the 
bushes trying to get relief. I finally cooled down 
and got better and finally well and then I do not 
think a microbe was left, but the treatment came 
near finishing me. I tell this in the interest of 
science. 

When I left Manion's, I went to the Friends Mis- 
sion. There were three Missions a few miles south- 
west of Kansas City — Methodists, Baptists and 
Friends — and they were all in the Shawnee Indian 
country. At the Friends Mission I had a cordial 
greetinsT from old friends. There were many re- 
ports of depredations of Indians on the plains and 
I w^as advised not to cross to California. But I con- 
cluded to cross with Majors & Russell, who were 
heavy freighters to New Mexico. I engaged with 
them. Russell was a merchant of Jefferson City; 
Majors a farmer. He had a fine farm and owned a 
number of slaves. He was also a Presbyterian 
minister. When I approached him to hire he said 
he was going to hire all of his men on condition 
they were not to swear. He said he was a minister 
and that he felt he was to a considerable extent re- 
sponsible for the conduct of the men in his employ. 
He said he would discharge a man who swore. He 
then asked me if I thought that I could drive a 
team across the plains and back without swearing. 
I told him I thought I could. Several men who had 
come to hire were standing around and he asked 
one of them, an Irishman, the same question, "Do 



24 What I Saw on the 

you think you can drive a team across the plains 
and back without swearing?'' Said Pat: "Yis, I 
can drive a team to hell and back without swear- 
ing." The Irishman was not employed. 

I learn from the history of Buffalo Bill that at 
this time he w^as herding cattle for Majors. He was 
then a boy of tw^elve or fifteen and this w^as his first 
work. The wagon train with which I was employ- 
ed, started the first of May after the grass was in 
proper condition to graze. TOien the time came to 
start, the wagons and cattle were brought together 
southwest of Kansas City. The w^agons were cor- 
raled and the cattle were herded on the prarie. A 
corral is formed by the fencing in of a lot with wag- 
ons. For instance, two wagons are driven abreast 
just wide enough apart to leave a space as wide as 
a common farm gate. Then just behind each wag- 
on another wagon is driven so the near front wheel 
is close to the off hind wheel of the wagon in front 
and the fore wheel and the hind w^heel are chained 
together. Each wagon widens the corral its width. 
Then the wagons are brought together in the same 
way, only the off front wheel is chained to the near 
hind wheel of the wagon in front. So thirty or forty 
wagons form a large lot or corral. When the oxen 
or mules are driven in, guards are stationed at the 
gateway to keep them in. Our train consisted of 
forty large prarier schooners. 

There were ten old wagons and thirty new ones 
sent out by the government for the use of the 
army post. Each wagon was as large as four 
ordinary w^agons and carried a load averaging 



Old Santa Fe Trail 25 

three tons. We started with over 500 oxen. Six 
yoke pulled each wagon and we took a lot of extras 
for recruits when any died. Most of our oxen had 
never been yoked and were v/ild. There were a 
few pairs that were well broken, so if a man could 
get a pair of wheelers and a pair of leaders he 
could fill in four middle yoke with unbroken oxen 
and they would have to keep in line. Most of the 
men were experienced. They had crossed the 
plains every summer and sometimes twice a year. 
The first timie the cattle were yoked, it was a 
race to get the best broken oxen. The experienced 
men could pick them out at a glance. They show- 
ed scratches on their horns and mates kept to- 
gether. Every man had his pick the first day and 
he kept his first selection, but he had a right to 
exchange for any of the unselected cattle. So 
there was a good deal for an inexperienced man to 
learn. When our cattle were driven in the corral 
the first day we started, it was a sight. It did not 
do to show cowardice. Each man with a yoke 
rushed in among the big fellows and it looked as if 
each man would be trodden under foot. Cattle 
swayed from side to side and piled up on each 
other. Men mixed up all over the corral. Ex- 
perienced men had no fear and had the sleight 
of yoking any they wanted. I tired to show cour- 
age too. I put the yoke on an old one and he tore 
around and got loose, another kicked me and an- 
other horned at me. So I got out where I had 
room to dodge any way. I finally got hold of an 
old one and yoked him with a little fellow that 



A \ 



26 What I Saw on the 

seemed to be gentle. They did not match, but 
what did I care if they were gaited aUke. I want- 
ed a pair of leaders and I was greatly disappoint- 
ed when I found that neither liad any experience. 
When the other men got their teams, they helped 
me to get my six yoke hitched to the wagon and 
I did not have an ox that had even been yoked 
before. We were on a vast prairie w^ith no ob- 
structions. I turned them loose. The exhibition 
was equal to Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Some 
bucked, others plunged. They could not run be- 
cause their notions were different. But I finally 
got them to follow the other wagons by running 
from one side to the other like driving up the 
cow^s. After the first day I got them broke to 
follow. 

My wagon was the rear one. I grew tired of 
walking and crawled in the rear end of my wagon 
and climbed to the front which was six or eight 
feet high. I rode several miles in my exalted 
position. I yelled at the boys. I asked them w^hy 
they did not ride. I was quite jubila^nt. I whistled, 
kept time by thumping my heels on the side of the 
wagon. I sang. About that time the front of the 
train reached a long rocky road where the road 
led in a meandering Vv^ay down the river bottom. 
I could see ahead that the wagons were strung out 
and as they approached the top of the hill, the men 
would stop and set their brakes. I thought I was 
doing well and that I would not be in any hurry to 
get out. I supposed that w^hen the team in front 
stopped, my team would stop. But I was mis- 



Old Santa Fe Trail 27 

taken. They did not give me time to get out. I 
was in a bad way perched up in front. My oxen 
ran with all their might, pell mell over rocks, hub- 
bing the wagons that were strung out quarter of a 
mile from the top to the bottom of the hill. I 
never did get such a cur*sing. Every man on my 
way to the bottom of the hill gave me a sample of 
his choicest oaths. At places the road was narrow 
with barely room to pass. In the rough places the 
wagon very nearly upset several times. I yelled 
at my team but not a brute paid any attention. 
Neither did I have a chance to leave my post. 
Show cowardice? I should have been honored as 
a great leader for I started in the rear and landed 
in front, but a man may advance too fast. That 
was my experience, for I did not have a friend in 
the train. I was hated by all. They called me 
that blanked Hoosier. I concluded to redeem 
myself by showing kindness. My progress was 
slow, but that was my only show. 



CHAPTER IV. 



TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST 



PEACE WON THROUGH FIGHTING — THE OLD TRAIL.. 

At that time Leavenworth City had not been 
thought of but Fort Leavenworth was a depot for 
army supphes. All freight was brought there by 
boats. All freight for the territories was unloaded 
at Kansas City but the army freight was unloaded 
at Fort Leavenworth. Our wagons were nearly all 
loaded with sugar and we had some coffee, bacon 
and spices. We had from fifty to seventy hundred 
to the wagon. We also had a provision wagon to 
supply the men in the train. Our progress was 
very slow at first as the oxen were not trained to 
pull heavy loads. In places the roads were bad and 
the rain was heavy. The wheels would go down in 
the mud to the axle and we would double and treb- 
le our teams. Sometimes we unloaded a wagon 
two or more times within the length of the train 
which was quite lengthy. Once we had thirty-two 
yoke of oxen to a wagon and then failed to pull it 
out. We v>'ould wind them around like a whip lash 



Old Santa Fe Trail 29 

and swing them out on a line and their weight 
would either pull the load out or break the chains. 
Generally the latter. We had great trouble herd- 
ing our cattle as they were not used to each other. 
Rain fell almost constantly and the nights were 
dark. Many times we ran after our cattle at night 
when it was too dark to see them. We followed 
them by the noise they made running. Our only 
chance to sleep was to lie on the ground and fre- 
quently water ran under us. A man does not know 
what he can endure. 

I felt that I had gained the confidence of the boys 
by showing them kindnesses but another misfor- 
tune was awaiting me which gave me a worse back- 
set than ever. When we reached the crossing of 
the Wakarusha river, a narrow passage went down 
a steep bank to the water. The wagons ahead had 
all crossed successfully. The river was about 
three or four feet deep. When my wagon started 
down the bank, the off wheel struck a bump and 
the wagon being loaded top-heavy, it turned into 
the river. It came near catching me but I escaped. 
The wagon was loaded with sugar which was piled 
up in the middle of the river. Some of it remained 
in the wagon. The train stopped and the boys 
came back and we carried the sugar to the oppo- 
site side and reloaded the wagon but I sweetened 
the river and the wagon dripped molasses for a 
week. We camped on the bank of the river where 
a small train was camping. The wagon master told 
me I could go back to the States. He said he had 
hired a man in my place who made app]icat:o:i 



30 What I Saw on the 

for a job. I had noticed the strange man. I told 
the wagon-master all right, but I told him the fel- 
low he had employed was an out-law; that he would 
be sorry that he had employed him, but he paid no 
attention to what I said. I had made arrangement 
with a small team that was camping near our camp 
to return with it. But I was surprised next morn- 
ing when our wagon-master came to me and told 
me to stay with him, that he thought me a good feJ- 
low who had struck a streak of bad luck. I soon 
learned that the strange man who I warned him to 
watch, had stolen the best mule in the train and 
skipped. Neither man or mule was ever heard of. 
Our train was divided into six messes with six or 
seven in a mess. About all the men were from 
Missouri. They v;ere a rough set, some of them 
afterwards becoming Border Ruffians. It was my 
misfortune to be in the worst mess in the train. I 
was much imposed on for a long time. No act of 
mine was appreciated. They tried to make a ser- 
vant out of me. Some of the men in the other mess- 
es saw I was mistreated and told me I would have 
to fight before I would get justice. They told me 
to fight even if I got whipped every time as I 
would thus make friends. One evening while I 
was stevving a tea for a slight indisposition, Frank 
Ketchem, one of my messmates came around and 
kicked my fire over. I told him I would make 
another fire and if he molested it I would whip 
him or take a licking. As soon as I rebuilt my 
fire, he came around and commenced to kick it. 
As he was stooping over, I caught him by the hair 



Old Santa Fe Trail 31 

and ran backwards, kicking him. Ke crowded me 
backwards and I fell, he landing on mo. He got 
me by the throat with his teeth and shut off my 
wind. They took him off and he sat down. The 
wagon-master came running up to ask wjiat was 
the trouble. Ketchem said: "Nothing; only I 
have been flogging Hoosier a little." 

I gathered uj) a wagon lever and drew it over his 
head and I made him beg like a dog. After that 
I had friends. The Baker boj^s said they would 
see that I was better treated and that gave me 
encouragement. I started in to show that I 
Avould not allow any man to impose on me and 
after my mess saw I had friends, they began to 
treat me with respect. We experienced a hard 
time on account of the soft and muddy roads. The 
boys who were experienced in crossing the plains 
said we would have an easier time when we got to 
the old Sante Fe road. It seemed a long way but we 
finally reached it, before we got to Council Grove. 
The old Sante Fe road w^as said to be the best 
natural road in the world, considering the length, 
which was near a thousand miles. It led from 
Independence, Mo., to Sante Fe, New Mexico. It 
was nature's ideal road, never having been im- 
proved by man. No bridges were needed for all 
streams were easily forded. It was a much better 
road than any macadamized road. In its entire 
length there was not a hill. Even in crossing the 
mountains before reaching Sante Fe or Albuquer- 
que, nature seemed to have arranered the great 
canyons in a way that our trains were never ob- 



32 Vv^HAT I Saw on the 

structed. Here on the old trail, half a century 
ago, caravans of heavily loaded wagons accom- 
panied by United States soldiers or other armed 
forces wended their way slowly to the southwest 
carrying supplies. It was a hazardous undertak- 
ing for the Indians were bold and savage. On the 
first of every month a U. S. mail coach left Inde- 
pendence and Sante Fe. The coach was drawn by 
six horses or rnules. A man rode horseback by the 
side of the horses to whip them up. A guard of 
six or eight men rode and slept in the coach. Our 
wagon-master knew where w^e would meet the 
coach from Sante Pe and where the coach from 
Independence would pass us. They would halt a 
minute to teU us the news. 

The old trail will never be obliterated. I see 
that a movement has been made by Kansas to 
establish by the aid of the school children mile 
stones al )ng th3 trail in every district. 



CHAPTER V. 



TO THE SOUTmVEST. 



THE TRAIN MEETS INDIANS — MILLIONS OF BUF- 
FALOES. 

Council Grove was a Ka.w Indian Agency with 
an Indian village attached. Mr. Hays, the agent, 
had a store and supplied the Indians with their 
needs. We camped near the village. The Kaws 
were said to be a very cowardly tribe and for that 
reason they were hated by all the other tribes. 
Whenever the other tribes gave them a scare, 
they flocked to the agency for protection. They 
had great confidence in an agent of the United 
States. 

A lot of Kaws loitered around our corral and 
one of the bucks tried to steal some coffee. One of 
our men promptly gave him a whipping with a 
blacksnake whip. When we passed on, it seemed 
strange to tnow that aU of the Indians we met 
seemed to know of this for they would say: "Whip 
um Kaw." After leaving Council Grove, we pass- 



34 What I saw on the 

ed through some of the largest towns I was ever 
in. The population ran into thousands. The in- 
habitants seemed to be a very industrious class. 
The towns all had the same name — Dogtown. 
These little prairie dogs are interesting little ani- 
mals. They live in holes some eight or ten feet 
apart. The hole commences in the top of a mound 
and goes straight down. The animals are not of 
the dog family but get their name from their 
bark. We would strike at them with our whips 
but they were too quick. We could not make all 
of them go in their holes for there were always 
sentinels out that kept up the barking. We some- 
times killed them and made soup but it was not 
firstclass soup. Many snakes and owls lived in 
the towns and naturalists say they all live in the 
same hole. But this is a mistake as the owls and 
snakes live in abandoned holes. Naturalists have 
also claimed tliat these dog towns are laid out in 
streets as accurately as any town but this is not 
so. One can arrange the trees in the woods by 
imaginary lines. 

AMien we w^ere within a few miles of Gi'eat Bend 
en the Arkansas River, we met the U. S. mail com- 
ing in. The men told us there was a large band of 
Comanche Indians in camp on tlie river. They 
cautioned us to look out for these Indians as they 
showed signs of hostility. They said they believed 
that the object of the Indians was to rob our train 
which was the most valuable that crossed the 
plains that season. Indians are generally well in- 
formed. They have a mysteinous we^y of communi- 



Old Santa Fe Trail 35 

eating with otJier tribes. We at last came in sight 
of the tents of the Comanches and soon a large 
number of the Indians came out to meet us. We 
selected a captain who ordered ua to load our guns 
and fall into march in front of the train. When 
they came up, we motioned for them to not come 
near us. They divided, a part going to the south 
and a part to the north. It looked as if they meant 
to close in on us from both sides. I never was so 
badly scared. The old chief came riding along 
and gave signs of friendship. So we allowed him 
to approach us and he made signs that they only 
wanted to beg. They came nearer until they were 
all around us. They begged for "whisk, shug and 
back." I never saw such beggers. Our orders 
were to give them nothing for if we did they would 
only become worse. After they had begged through 
the train, they would run their ponies to the front 
and beg through again. Our wagon-master gave 
the chief a cup of sugar and he tied it in the cor- 
ner of the blanket. We afterwards learned that 
their intention was to kill off another small tribe 
that had been trespassing on their hunting 
grounds. They had on their war paint and were 
armed with bows and arrows. Tliey were killing 
buffalo which were grazing north of where we 
were camped. They jerked the meat over the fire 
without salting it and put it up in rolls and some 
times in sacks. We secured a lot of jerked meat 
once and it w^as excellent. Such meat did not create 
thirst. There were hundreds of dead buffaloes 
along the road. Some were dried with their hide 



36 What I Saw on the 

and hair on and were in a good state of preservation 
on account of the dry atmosphere. Bones of buf- 
faloes were scattered all over the plains. When 
we reached Big Bend or Great Bend as it now 
called (it is the name of a town) where the Arkan- 
sas river makes a great bend to the south, the 
Sante Fe trail leading a long ways up the river on 
the north side before reaching the ford, there 
were millions of buffaloes on the north side of the 
river. The w^hole plains were a mass of buffaloes 
as far as the eye could see. Words could not de- 
scribe the sight. They did not bawl as cattle but 
gave a deep grunt which blended into a roaring 
like distant thunder. Thousands were marching 
back and forth to the river to quench their thirst. 
They did not even try to get out of our way. 

At first it w^as a wonderful thing to shoot a buf- 
falo, especially to a few of us who had never seen 
anything of the kind. After a time we lost interest 
in shooting the great beasts. Only while w^e were 
out of meat did we enjoy the sport. I heard some 
of the boys say there was more sport in shooting 
squirrels. Buffaloes are governed more by scent 
than by sight. If the wind is blowing from them 
to the hunter, he may approach very near to them. 
But if the wind is blowing from the hunter to 
them, they will stampede and run when they are 
miles away. One strange thing was that there 
were never any cows and calves seen on or near 
the thoroughfare. Unless we went back behind 
the ridges, we never saw any but old bulls. I re- 
marked to the boys that the buffaloes would never 



Old Santa Fe Trail 37 

be exterminated. I said they were so numerous 
that the United States army could not kill them as 
fast as they multiplied. I said the Creator had 
given them a country that would never be inhabited 
by white people. I claimed it was the economy of 
Nature to give the Indians a country where all 
their wants were provided for them and a country 
where the white man could not intrude on them. 
Horace Greeley said of the buffaloes that they 
were not indigenous to the plains but that they 
had been driven from the timber country. He 
called attention to the fact that all animals except- 
ing the buffalo were protected by their color which 
was a drab or grey which harmonized with the 
ground or grass in which they concealed them- 
selves. 

Thousands of large gray wolves were among the 
buffalo. Some were as large as St. Bernard dogs. 
When a buffalo was wounded, a gang of wolves 
would pursue him and cut him down by cutting the 
hamstrings. Often while on guard at night these 
wolves would make my hair raise. Our cattle 
would lie down twice every night to rest. After 
filling with grass, they would lie down about ten 
o'clock and remain quiet until two o'clock when 
one would arise and moan. Then we had to look 
out or they would be strung out for a mile before 
we knew it. During the time the cattle were quiet, 
we would lie down and take a nap. We had our- 
selves trained so we could awake at the proper 
time. I propped my head^, up on my arm so if, I 
slept soundly, my head would drop and arouse me. 



38 What I Saw on the 

I have often been startled by a pack of wolves set- 
ting up a howl only a few rods away. The noise 
was deafening. I could not have heard my own 
voice if I had called out. 



CHAPTER VI. 
INTO THE DESERT, 



HARD TIMES ON THE TRAIL — THE BLESSINGS OF 

WATER, 

The Arkansas river is rather a strange stream. 
It runs in sand that is constantly changing and 
shifting. Where the Sante Pe road crosses it, it 
looks to be forty rods wide but it is very shallow. 
A man could almost wade it with rubber boots 
without getting his feet wet. The constant wash- 
ing of the fine sand keeps the bottom as level as a 
floor. The water is swift and forms ripples from 
one side to the other. If a person stands in one 
place the water will wash out a great hole in the 
sand and undermine him and let him down. We 
doubled teams when crossing the river and had to 
keep moving or the sand would wash and let our 
wagons sink. A strange feature of the crossing 
was that the wagons seemed to be running over 
stones. The wagon tongues would jerk and wrench 
in a fearful manner. When we crossed the river, 
we parted from the buffalo and entered the Great 
American desert. All was changed. There were 



40 What I Saw on the 

thousands of antelopes. Sometimes they would 
jump up near the train, run a httle distance and 
stop to look at us. The boys would grab their guns 
from the side of their wagons and shoot them. We 
had a regular hunter in our train whose business 
was to keep us supplied with meat. We also killed 
many jack rabbits and made soup of them. Wlien 
a jack rabbit jumped up, the boys would all yeii 
and if the rabbit ran along the train we would be 
sure to get it. 

The country was quite sandy and seemed to be 
the home of the wild sunflower and cacti, of which 
there are many varieties. The surface of the 
ground in places was completely covered with the 
common round cactus. Tliere is a large conic va- 
riety three or four feet high; also a tree cactus that 
grows as large as the largest apple tree. W^e used 
the dead trunks for fuel. About all the varieties 
bear a small purple oblong pear which we tried to 
consider edible but the fuzz on them m_ade our lips 
and tongues sore. There were thousands of lizards 
running in every direction. Some of the boys prac- 
ticed killing them with their whips as they passed. 
As a result the ground was strewed with dead liz- 
ards. Horned frogs were a novelty. They were 
about the size of a common toad but did not hop, 
but ran like a mouse. They had a sharp horn on 
the top of their heads. 

After leaving the Arkansas, there was no water 
except in stagnant ponds. Sometimes there were 
dead amimals in these ponds. 

About the only Avay we could drink the water was 



Old Santa Fe Trail 41 

to make strong coffee out of it and then it tasted 
as much of the filth as of the coffee. One time we 
traveled all day and all night and the next day to 
reach water. Our tongues were so parched from 
thirst that we could hardly talk. Once the boys 
took advantage of my ignorance. We passed over 
a ridge and came in fair view of one of the most 
beautiful lakes I ever beheld. The boys ahead 
yelled back: "Hoosier, we are coming to water." 
How my heart rejoiced when I saw the water ahead. 
It looked to be a mile or so distant. I was greatly 
disappointed when we did not seem to be getting 
any nearer it. I at last found that it was an illu- 
sion — a mirage. I afterwards saw many such 
sights — balloon ascensions, American flags; cities, 
etc. The first water we reached was the Cimirone 
Springs on a stream by that name. There were 
three springs — lower, middle and upper. Yie were 
almost perishing for water. With our tin cups in 
hands we surrounded the springs where the cold, 
sparkling water was gushing from under the bank. 
Our instructions were to drink but little at first 
and more by degrees and finally all we craved. I 
never before had appreciated the value of good \y^- 
ter. The unanimous expression was that good pure 
water was the greatest luxury in the world. But 
how many are there who have given the matter a 
thought? Oxen and mules had suffered for water 
as much if not more than we, and we could not keep 
them from drinking. They drank a lot of alkali 
water from the little pools and several of the oxen 
died. Next morning when we drove in the cattle 



42 What I Saw on the 

from a little valley, we scared up dozens of rattle* 
snakes. We could hear the rattles hum. Several 
of the cattle were bitten, their legs swelling badly. 



CHAPTER VII. 



NATURE'S SECRETS. 



BONES OF ANIMALS AND MEN ALONG THE TRAIL, 

I have neglected to speak of two young men who 
went with the train as passengers for the benefit 
of their health. One was a clerk in Major's store and 
the other was a young doctor. They looked very iU 
and both were said to have consumption. They 
did not start with us, but joined us after we reached 
the trail about a hundred miles or so on our way. 
They were brought to our train by easy convey- 
ance by friends. They brought their own outfit — 
blankets, suitable food, etc. One had a pacing 
mule and the other a pacing pony. They could not 
ride much in the saddle at first, but each had a 
place to rest in a wagon. By degrees they grew 
stronger and finally rode their mounts nearly all 
the time. They would take their guns and hunt 
and they with our regular hunter, kept us well sup- 
plied with fresh meat which we did not have to salt. 
A ham hung on the end of a wagon would dry in the 
wind about as quick as we would chip it off. By 



44 What I Saw on ths 

the time we ci'ossed the plains, these men were 
sound and well. The doctor located in Sante Fe. I 
saw the other youn^ man in the fall on his way to 
Jefferson City, his home. He was well. I make 
the above statements to show the importance of out 
door living. I have heard it stated that it was im- 
possible for a sick person to cross the plains in a 
wagon, living in the open air, and not get well, es- 
pecially persons with stomach or lung trouble. 

We crossed over what was then called Hoi'ned 
Alley. It was considered one of the most danger- 
ous plaees on the rowte. There were two tracks 
about four rods apart. Our train was divided into 
two sections. Tlie sections traveled side by side so 
a^ to be able to corral our wagons in a much short- 
er time in case of an attack by the Indians. Gur 
grea^ government wagons formed excellent forti- 
fications but fortunately we were not molested. 

The wind on the plains blew almost constantly 
from the southwest. I was on the north track and 
suffered from the sand stirred up by the south 
section. My eyes were almost ruined by the sand, 
which greatly inflamed them. Every time we came 
to water, I washed my eyes and once I washed them 
in a puddle of alkali water which almost put them 
out. 

Our wagon master seldom joked or smiled. When 
questioned, his answers were given in a gruff man- 
ner. One day, as the train was about to start, he 
cast his eyes upward and remarked: "We will see 
snow before two hours." I did not question him 
for I knew I would receive a short, indefinate an- 



Old Santa Fe Trail 45 

swer. But I wondered what he meant, and if the 
old fool thought it would snow when there was not 
a cloud in sight and the sun was pouring down un- 
til it would almost cook an egg. But in the course 
of an hour when the train passed over a ridge, I 
came to a full understanding of his words when we 
came in full view of a snow-capped mountain. It 
seemed strange that when we were suffering from 
the heat we were in sight of perpetual snow. It 
glistened like silver as the sun shown on it. 

All the camping places had a name. The boys 
frequently spoke of Plum Bute, and I had an idea 
it was a noted place. But when we reached it, I 
found that it was a small mound with a little patch 
of plumb trees on it. Another camping place was 
Mule Head. There was a monument built of skulls 
of mules. I suppose a train of mules had been 
caught in a blizzard and had frozen to death and 
some enterprising philanthropist had built the 
monument from the skulls. It was ten or twelve 
feet high. One place we passed was a great bone 
yard. The earth was literally strewn with human 
bones. No one could explain their presence and 
the probability was, there had been a battle or a 
massacre by the Indians, no telling how long ago. 
The bones were all bleached. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



THE TRA.il in the DESERT. 



WOLVES AND WILD HORSES VARY THE MONOTONY. 

Some of the most interesting scenes in crossing 
the plains are the mounds. They can be seen from 
a great distance, and often it took us days to reach 
them after they came in sight. I have no doubt 
some can be seen from fifty to one hundred miles. 
They look like great monuments. A person not ac- 
customed to the country can not form much idea of 
distance. The first mound I saw, came to view as 
we passed to an elevated ridge. The man in front 
asked me how far I thought it was. I told him I 
thought it was about a half mile, but it might be 
farther. I was told it was twenty or thirty miles. 
It took us over a day to reach it, and our wagon 
master said it was ten miles off. 

Some of the men who made a business of cross- 
ing the plains took advantage of the ignorence of 
the new men who took only one ox gad. The old 
men tied a bundle on the side of their wagons and 
after we started we could not get any more when 



Old Santa Fe Trail . 47 

we new men broke ours, and the old men would 
charge us twenty -five cents for them. I grew tired 
of paying the price. We camped one noon appar- 
ently at the foot of Rocky Mound. I saw some 
small cedars growing on the side next to us. They 
were the first trees I saw since I was on the plains. 
I told Vol McMilligan that if he would loan me his 
knife, I would go up and cut some gads. He gave 
me his knife and I heard some of the boys chuckle 
as I started. The cedars looked to be about forty 
rods away. I thought I would strike the bottom 
of the hill after going eight or ten rods, but I kept 
going and I kept going and I could not see I was 
any nearer. I determined to go on and started to 
run but finally had to give it up and return, as I 
saw the wagons roll out. I was an hour or so in 
reaching the wagons. The men said the mound was 
ten miles away and it v/ould have been impossible 
for me to have reached the cedars. Besides they 
were thicker than my body. 

We occassionally saw herds of wild horses, but 
they were shy and always saw us before we saw 
them. Wolves followed us for days, and some- 
times for weeks, keeping at a safe distance. "When 
the train started in the morning, we could see them 
closing in on our camp to get the scraps. 

The first ranch we reached in New Mexico, was 
owned by a man named Waters. His ranch was on 
Dog creek. The first persons we met were two 
women and a man. I was driving in front and was 
never more embarassed, I was ragged dirty and 
in not a very presentable condition, but did not 



48 What I Saw on the 

realize my condition until I met those two women. 
If I could have evaded those women, I certainly 
would have done so. We camped on the creek near 
the ranch. Waters owned a number of Mexican 
slaves or peons as they were called. If a Mexican 
got into debt, he was a slave until he paid the debt. 
The law allowed him three dollars per month until 
he paid the debt, but the master could charge him 
for everything furnished, so it was no trouble to 
keep him in debt. That law has ^ince been 
abolished. 

There was considerable excitement over the cap- 
ture of a herd of wild horses. They was secured 
in a corral a mile or so from Water's house. The 
train rested that afternoon so we men went down 
to see the wild horses. There were one horse and 
seven mares. The horse had been in captivity three 
or four years previously, but had escaped and join- 
ed his herd. When I first saw him he was tied to 
a post, his mane touched the ground. He did not 
seem to be excited. He had an interesting history. 
Waters had captured him and kept him for two or 
three years and had raised a number of fine colts. 
He got away and joined his herd. Many efforts 
were made to capture him. Mexicans could noti 
lasso him because he was too fast. Waters offered 
a reward of $500 for his capture. Wild horses have 
certain grazing ground. They may be a hundred 
miles apart. When they are molested at one, they 
fiee to another. Those who make it a study know 
the routes the horses take in going from one pas- 
ture to another. One day the men fell on a plan 



Old Santa Fe Trail 49 

they believed would be successful. They engaged 
live of the swiftest race horses at Santa Fe. They 
placed the horses with a Mexican rider every five 
miles along the pass with a lassa Each Mexican 
was to run the horse five miles and then the next 
would take up the pursuit. It was said that after 
the fifth Mexican put him through the last heat, he 
was getting under good headway. The plan em- 
ployed that was successful, was as follows: Their 
path was between high cliffs. Posts were set as 
for a stockade. A gate was left open and a man 
concealed nearby who closed the gate on the horses. 



CHAPTER IX. 



AT ALBUQUERQUE. 



THE SUGAR PASSES INSPECTION— SPANISH DANCES. 

Mexicans are a peculiar people. They are hospit- 
able and will divide anything they liave and do you 
any favor, and at the same time they will steal 
from you anything they can lay their hands on. I 
have known a Mexican to follow our train five miles 
on foot to sell a chicken for a dime or two or three 
eggs or a gallon of beans. They never allow any- 
thing to go to waste. If one of their cattle die, 
they eat it. Sometimes oxen would die where we 
camped and in the course of few hours Mexicans 
would pass us with the carcass on a wagon with 
great clumsy wheels made by cutting off the ends 
of a log. They never greased the axles and one 
could hear them squeak long before they overtook 
us. Their oxen pull by the horns. A straight 
pieces of wood works back of the horns, fastened 
by a rawhide strap around the horns. This con- 
stitutes the yoke and seems to answer. 

One day we passed a Mexican ranch and our 



Old Santa Fe Trail 51 

boys stole a lot of beans. We had gone but a 
short distance until we camped and the boys put 
the beans on to boil. Pretty soon the Mexican 
came up and we looked for trouble. He sat around 
and said nothing. Wlien the beans were cooked, 
w^e offered him a dish and he ate heartily. We 
were much delighted to see how he relished his 
beans. 

When we arrived at Albuquerque, many Mexicans 
gathered around, sc.me to beg and some to sell 
fruit. Albuquerque was headquarters for the 
army and there were many soldiers. They were 
very kind and could not do too much for us. When 
a train was expected, they would arrange to have 
a great fandango in token of respect to Americans. 
The three days we remained, it so happened that I 
had no guard duty and so looked around the town. 
All the houses were of sundried brick. The roofs^ 
were flat and covered with tile or thatched. It 
would seem that the rains would wash the build- 
ings down, they seemed quite durable. Peons 
working on the houses wore nothing but breech 
clouts. Fandangoes seem^ed to be free, no door 
fee. Waltzes seemed to be the popular style of 
dancing. There was a great mixtui^e in the danc- 
ing — soldiers, Mexicans and negroes. The negroes 
were more popular with the Mexican and Spanish 
ladies than the Mexicans. Some of our boys took 
part, but it was a little tough on our Missourians 
to waltz with negroes, but they had to comply with 
the custom of the country. The musicians were 
in one end of the building, the bar in the other, 



52 What I Saw on tbe 

a.nd after the dance, ea<jh man would treat his 
partner at the bar. One night a young negro was 
called to the stand. He sang "Jordan is a hard 
road to travel." It was the first time I had heard 
the song. It was late when the fandango was over 
and I did not know whether I could find the way 
to corral and twb soldiers essorted me to the 
wagons. 

^Vhen we unloaded our sugar, my load, which I 
upset in the Wakarusha river, passed inpection. 
I was told if any damage was assessed, it would be 
taken out of my wages and I was dreading inspec- 
tion. 

The w^agon-master told us if we wanted to buy 
ponies he would pay for them and deduct the 
amount from our wages. We found ponies high 
and scarce as many had been bought up by other 
trainmen. One day an Indian rode up and offered 
his pony for fifty dollars and immediately I said I 
would buy it. The transaction made some of the 
other boys m.ad because they said they intend- 
ed to buy it I told them I had as good a right to 
buy as they. One of my mess, Vol McMuUigan, 
said he intended to give me a good threshing 
and I told him "All right." 

One of the most novel things I saw at Albucjuer- 
que was the manner of marketing wood. It is 
carried on the backs of Jacks which are very 
smaU. Pack saddles with frames that nearly touch 
the ground on each side are used. The wood is 
corded length wise on each side to the top of his 
back and then corded cross wise and fastened with 



Old Santa Fe Trail 53 

straps. AU that can be seen of the Jack is his 
head and ears in front of the moving wood pile. 
Sometimes the poor animal would get tired and 
lie down and it is all he can do to get up with the 
assistance of two Mexicans. Of course the wood 
is seasoned pine or other light wood and not as 
heavy as it looks. Two Mexicans generally have 
charge of five or six Jacks. The wood is carried 
across a valley from the mountains some distance 
off. 



CHAPTER X. 



HOMEWARD BOUND. 



AN AFFAIK OF HONOK SETTLED — CATTLE^ LOST. 

On the return, we had a drove of loose cattle to 
drive, as some of the wagons were left for army use. 
My time to drive the cattle came, the first day after 
starting. My horse had no saddle, but I folded 
my blanket and made a good substitute, and felt 
proud of my improved condition. Next day it was 
McMilligan's time to drive the cattle. He wanted 
to borrow my horse and I refused. I tied my 
horse to the rear wagon and dropped back a little. 
He and two others overtook me and McMulligan 
ordered me to take my horse from the wagon. I 
refused and he made at me. [ thought it a matter 
of life or death. I did not have a friend present, so 
I decided to give him the best I had. We knocked 
for a time and he was getting the best of me. I 
pulled off the gloves I wore and made for him. I 
noticed his wind was short and we clinched and 
fell, he on top with his head toward my feet. I 
reached for his head with my legs and pulled his 



.Old Santa Fe Tra»il 55 

arm up and got his thumb in my teeth, and I made 
the bones crack. He yelled so that he was heard 
at the head of the train, some distance ahead. The 
wagon master and two men came back thinking I 
was yelling. McMuUigan gave me his word that if 
I would let him loose, he would never molest me 
again. The wagon master told me I had punished 
him enough. I let loose of his thumb and he arose. 
As I got up, his friend cried: "Go for him" and he 
made another charge. I got a finger of the other 
hand between my hands and that limbered him. 

Just before we reached a camping place, the wag- 
on master told me he had heard some of McMuUi- 
gan' s mess say that if he could not lick me, some of 
them could and he told me that when the train was 
corralled to step out and dare McMulligan or any 
of his friends to come on. I did so but McMulligan 
sneaked off while one of his friends, Dud Kelley, 
came at me with a lever about eight feet long. He 
might have killed me but the boys took it away from 
him and he shied off. I flopped my wings and 
crowed like a Bantam. The next morning I was 
lying in a wagon in hearing of McMuUigan's mess. 
I heard one of the boys say: "I tell you, Hoosier is 
getting to be some. We did not know he was such 
a fighter when we were ordering him around." 

When we reached Las Vegas, the town was full 
of Mexicans. It was a day set apart for gambling 
and at night there was to be a fandango. The 
boys proposed to give me five dollars if I would 
guard the cattle that night and allow them to attend 
the fandango. I agreed and hired two Mexican 



56 What I Saw on ths 

boys to help me guard them. After the cattle had 
filled themselves and lay down, we got together and 
the boys made cigarettes and lighted them by strik- 
ing their flints and lighting punk. I told the boys 
to watch the cattle while I slept and to awaken me 
at a certain time and I would watch and allow them 
to sleep. I charged them not to go to sleep and they 
promised they would keep a sharp look out. I 
awoke some time in the later part of the night. 
The boys were both asleep. I awoke them and we 
started ta find the cattle. Some were in a ravine 
feeding. I was afraid we would not find the others. 
The boys came back from the fandango in the 
morning and the wagon master said we would find 
the cattle on the road. So we hitched up and soon 
overtook them. 



CHAPTER XI. 



THE BUFFALO COUNTKY. 



FRESH WATER DISCOVERED —SPORT WITH THE BUF- 
FALO RENEWED. 

When we reached Waters' ranch, we learned that 
the stallion that had been recaptured was sent by a 
train that had passed us, to Lexington, Mo. They 
thought it safer to send it to the States for fear he 
might get away again. The last I heard of the 
stallion was that they were offering to bet $1,000 
that he could out-run any horse in the United States 
in twenty miles. 

There was a long stretch on our route that we 
were dreading because of the scarcity of water but 
it so happened that at a midway point, we met a 
Mexican train and the men told us of water that our 
boys knew nothing of. A Mexican offered to take 
us to it. So three or four of us took our canteens 
and strapped our water kegs on our backs and fol- 
lowed him quite a distance up a canyon to the base 
of a large hiU where we found the finest cistern of 
water I ever saw. It looked as if there had been a 
sand-slide from the hill which was afterwards 



68 What I Saw on the 

formed into sand rock. There was a w^ell-formed 
cistern ten or twelve feet in diameter and perhaps 
fiifteen feet, filled with cold, clear cistern w^ater. 
The cistern was in the center of a table- rock that 
had a gradual slope to the center with little gut- 
ters to conduct the rain to the mouth of the 
cistern which was not over five feet in diam- 
eter. On the south side there was a channel 
which conducted the water away when there was 
a surplus. In the solid rock there were mule tracks 
as plain as if just made in the mud. The mules 
were shod. We returned to camp with our vessels 
well filled. 

Again w^e reached the Cimaron river. It is a 
strange stream. In places the water runs on the 
surface and again it sinks in the sand only to rise 
again. Occasionally a large pool of clear water is 
seen. The pool is lower than the water which cir- 
culates through the sand. We camped at one of 
these pools one noon and just as the train was 
starting one of the boys and myself discovered 
that there were lots of fine cat-fish in the pool. 
We waded after them as the water was only two or 
three feet deep. We discovered when the sediment 
was stirred up, the fish would come the surface to 
breathe. By placing our hands under them, we 
could throw them out on the bank. Becoming 
greatly interested in the sport, we concluded to re- 
main a while and catch all we could. The under- 
stading w^as we would camp at WiUow Bar about 
ten miles away. After catching all the fish we could 
carry, w^e started for the train. The road was sandy 



Old Santa Fe Trail 50 

and walking was very slavish. We were much fa- 
fatigued but clung to the fish. We were greatly- 
disappointed at Willow Bar to find no wagons and 
night coming on. We knew the next camping place 
was twelve or fifteen miles farther on and it would 
be a great undertaking to walk that distance. So 
we threw away our fish and started with sad hearts 
and tired limbs. Another discouraging feature 
w^as that we v/ere in a country of hostile Indians 
and liable to be taken in at any time. I will not 
attempt to describe how tired and disheartened we 
were, trudging through the dry fine sand that gave 
away at every step, our feet burying shoe top deep. 
My partner said he was so tired he would have to 
give up. I told him if he did, the big grey wolves 
would eat him and if they did not, I would. So he 
took new courage. But we finally reached the 
train about midnight. I suppose there were never 
two happier fellows and I know there were never 
any more tired or hungry. The boys were about 
as glad to see us as w^e were to see them. They 
had made up their minds that the Indians had 
taken us as they had seen a gang at a distance about 
sundown. 

We were expecting soon to reach the buffaloes as 
we had been informed they were feeding farther 
south than we left them in the spring. 

One day our wagon master, who was riding in 
front of the train, fell back and told us we were in 
sight of buffalo. He pointed to three old bulls 
lying a little distance ahead. The boys drove the 
loose cattle ahead of our wagon and hid behind 



60 What I Saw on the . 

them until the cattle were close to them. 
The boys designated one that we would all fire at 
as they wanted to make sure of one, as we were 
wanting fresh meat. The great brutes rose to their 
feet but did not seem to scare when the boys fired 
at the one selected. The other two started with a 
rolling jump. I was on my horse and pursued 
them with a pair of holsters that belonged to our 
wagon master. My horse ran at the side of the 
buffaloes, they keeping abreast. It is not every 
horse that can run on to a buffalo. A horse that 
keeps up with a buffalo is getting over the ground. 
I fired at close range but do not know that I hit 
them, perhaps not. The buffalo which the boys shot 
soon got sick. He would paw the ground, grunt 
and lie down. Mr. Percel, a passenger on the train, 
was a venturesome man. He carried a butcher 
knife in a scabbard in his boot leg. He would take 
his knife in hand when a buffalo was wounded, ad- 
vance on him from behind and cut his hamstrings 
and let him down. It looked dangerous, but he 
claimed by getting close to them, he could turn 
around as fast as the buffalo. "VVlien an animal was 
cut down, he was at our mercy. A buffalo is very 
tenacious of life. Unless hit in a vital spot, one 
would not know the animal was hurt. Our army 
guns would send a ball through them. To kill a 
buffalo, we shot it back of the fore leg and pretty 
low down. After one has been shot through the 
heart, I have seen him run a little ways. 



CHAPTER XII. 



HUNTING BUFFALOES. 



THE GREAT SPORT OF OUR WESTERN COUNTRY. 

We did not travel far until we were in the midst 
of buffaloes. The whole surface of the plains 
seemed to be a great mass of buffaloes. At times 
they did not try to get out of our way and at other 
times they would run when we were miles away. 
Buffaloes are governed more by scent than by sight 
and old hunters took advantage of that fact. We 
aU observed that when they would run, the wind 
was blowing from us to them. All who remember 
having seen buffalo meat on the market remember 
it is dark and coarse. Hence there was the im- 
pression that all buffalo meat was dark, but it was 
a mistake for there was no more delicious meat 
than young buffalo meat. 

One day I took my gun and strolled to the sum- 
mit of a ridge to see the cows and calves that the 
boys told about. It was a sight to see thousands 
of the little black fellows. They fairly swarmed. 
I could not get as near as I wanted on account of a 



62 What I Saw on the 

gang of gray wolves, some of which looked as big 
as St. Bernard dogs. Usually wolves show cow- 
ardice but these seemed to have no fear. There 
w^as one monstrous buffalo bull that stood his 
ground. He kept pawing and grunting and rais- 
ing a cloud of dust. I did not like his appearance. 
I thought before returning I would see if I could 
raise any dust from him. So I let him have it. We 
could always tell where we hit an old bull for the 
dust would fly from his great coat of fur which is 
full of dust for they are always rolling in the dust. 
There are great holes called buffalo wallows. The 
old fellow started toward me. I ran for the wag- 
ons quite a distance off. I looked back and could 
see his great shaggy mane flopping. He was gain- 
ing on me. A number of the boys saw him coming 
so they came out to meet him. They attracted his 
attention and I got out of the way. The boys di- 
vided and shot at him from both sides. The wag- 
ons had corralled for the night and he went within 
twenty or thirty rods of the camp. He soon got sick 
and would lie down and get up repeatedly which 
^vas a sure sign that he was mortally wounded. Mr. 
Percel got his great butcher knife out and started 
for him. The bull chased him but Percel kept too 
close at his heels, striking all the time at his ham- 
strings and finally succeeded in cutting him down. 
He thus lost his power of locomotion and the boys 
would jump on his back just to hear him snort. 
When he was dead, we took enough of his meat for 
supper. We never took anything but tenderloins of 
old bulls. They were very good even from old bulls. 



Old Santa Fe Trail 63 

We had some exciting experiences killing buf- 
faloes. One day after we got to where they were 
not so numerous, there being small herds of 
a thousand or so isolated from the main herd, we 
found them on the alert and it was a little hard to 
get between them and the main herd. There was 
a small herd a mile or so to the southeast of us. 
The main body was north and a little to the west of 
us. As I stated it was hard to get between those 
small herds and the main herd. If they saw we 
were about to cut them off, they would try to pass 
as far as possible from us. After the leaders had 
passed, the others would follow in the same line 
and the hunter had better stand aside. A stream 
in this prairie country can not be seen until one 
gets right to it. There was a dry, deep cliannel 
and we took advantage of the buffaloes and kept . 
down the bed out of sight until we were directly 
between them and the main herd. As soon as we 
made our appearance they started to pass us so 
that by the time they were past us, we were up to 
their line of crossing the dry bed. There was 
a perpendicular bank on the south side but that did 
not stop them. They jumped oft' turning somer- 
saults upon the soft sand on the other side. The 
herd was feeding and all did not see us at first but 
as fast as they did see us, they would start to the 
line of those in front. So they were strung out a 
mile or so. We stood on the bank as near as we 
dared, shooting and loading. But we killed only 
one and it ran some forty rods and when it fell, it 
turned its feet up and was dead. We went to it and 



e4 What I Saw on the 

it was shot through the heart. "VVe cut out its 
tongue and 'started for the wagons which were a 
long v/ays off. We did not catch them until they 
had camped for the night. To say that iwe were 
hungry and tired v/ould express it but feebly. 

After we had got away from the buffalos we could 
occasionally see an old straggler all alone. 
The last one we saw was feeding to the north of the 
road. I was riding my horse and a fellow nam.ed 
Perry !>.iatthevrs asked me to ride around to the 
other side of the buffalo and scare him over where 
he would conceal himself behind a high bank or ra- 
vine. I did so. Perry was expecting the buff^alo 
to cross below him a little ways but he went down 
the bank where Perry was in hiding. You should 
have seen him come boiling out. He was badly 
scared when he saw the old bull with his great 
shaggy hair coming in a rolling jump. 

I suppose it would be interesting to most people 
to know what kind of fuel we used while crossing 
the plains where there is such an expanse of coun- 
try without a tree of any kind. I will say that we 
had an abundance of the best fuel, commonly 
known as ''buffalo chips." The chips had been ex- 
posed to the rains and heat of the sun so long that 
they were entirely odorless and almost as hard as 
pine knots. No doubt some were eight or ten years 
old. They made a better lire than w(X)d even if wood 
had been available, from the fact that as soon as the 
fire started, a coal was formed ready for use where- 
as we would have had to wait on wood to bum to 
a coal. The most fastidious ladies crossing the 



Old Santa Fe Trail 65 

plains thought no more of gathering buffalo chips 
than our ladies would think of gathering chips 
at the wood pile. My part of camp duty was to 
gather chips. I suppose I have gathered enough 
to fill a small barn. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



SMALLPOX BREAKS OUT. 



DESEtiTS THE TRAIN AND STARTS ALONE. 

The reader will remember, the fandango in Los 
Vegas the night I herded the cattle. Well, I never 
got a cent for herding the cattle but the boys got 
the smallpox. Two or three of them caught the 
smallpox at the fandango and about half the boys 
in the train had it afterwards. In fact, every man 
that had not been vaccinated took it except myself. 
We had a hospital wagon where the patients rode. 
We were entirely unprepared to treat them. There 
was no medicine and no diet except train fare, 
which consisted of bacon, sugar and rice. The 
hospital wagon was open except the cover. It was 
very unpleasant to be associated with the sick. 
They spent most of their time quarrehng. They 
would stick their scabby faces outof the wagon and 
such cursing! Notwithstanding their unfavorable 
surroundings, all recovered except the man first 
taken who arose one night to get a drink and took 
cold. The mail coach conveyed the information to 



Old Santa Fe Tkail (i7 

Missouri that our train had smallpox and later we 
learned from the outgoing mail that we would be 
quarantined out on the road and held until we were 
all well. That did not strike me favorably. I had 
had enough. I wanted to get back to civihzation 
and be vaccinated. So I got the wagon master to 
figure up how many guards I would have to stand 
and how many drives I would have. I got him to 
agree to let me do duty by standing guard every 
night in succession and driving every day until I 
served my time. The cattle were so well broken 
that they w^ere little to herd. I could nap a little 
while they Avere lying down. I got along all right 
and served out my time. I w^as to have my free- 
dom as soon as we crossed the Arkansas river. 

We crossed the river and camped, but in the 
morning the wagon master objected to me leaving 
the train. He made several excuses, said I would 
never get through, that the Indians w^ould kill me. 
I saw they were determined not to let me go. So 
I pretended I had given the matter up but I was 
fully determined to go. I had my horse and bridle 
but no saddle. I folded my blanket and made a 
fairly good saddle, I slipped around the camp and 
got a sack of ground coffee, a tin cup a lot of 
matches. That w^as my entire outfit. 

V/henthe train started, I rode ahead as I often 
did. After I passed over a ridge out of sight of the 
train, I struck a much faster gait and that was the 
last I saw of the train or they saw of me. Water 
was not scarce and I thought I could make it all 
right. At noon, I made some strong coffee and felt 



68- What I Saw ox the 

as if I had had a first class dinner. I got my sup- 
per in the same ma-nuer. I was afraid the Indians 
would get my horse, so I picketed him out near 
the road and took my blanket and slept near the 
horse in a hollov7. I thought if the Indians found 
my horse I would lie in concealment until the train 
came up. I w^as tired and slept soundly and when 
I awoke my horse was all right. My breakfast was 
the same as dinner and supper. The second day 
was a long and lonesome one. I did not see a sin- 
gle thing except one Indian. He saw me a long 
ways olf and sat on his pony until I came up. He 
had a deer in front of his saddle and I w^as really 
glad to see him and he seemed glad to see me. I 
stopped and we looked at each other. He crossed 
my road and went east. I continued on the Santa 
Fe trail. I nooned where a Mexican train had 
camped. I found the tree of an old saddle and 
some whang. So I constructed a saddle by mak- 
ing a girt and stirrups of whang. I folded my 
blanket and got on my horse and I am sure no 
young man ever felt prouder when he was on his 
way to see his best girl than I felt riding my new 
saddle. The third day I did not see a person all 
day. A little before night I saw a very dark cloud 
rising in the west. I thought there was a great 
storm approaching. It came nearer and nearer 
and I thought it strange there was no thunder or 
lightning. All at once, I was in a mass of black 
smoke. For a few minutes my horse and I almost 
suffocated but it rolled away and went east out of 
sight. Talk to me about fresh air treatment. I 



Old Santa Fe Trail 69 

am a firm believer in it. At night, I lay down to 
rest and a cold drizzly rain began. I was soon wet 
and chilled and I could not sleep until about mid- 
night when I fell into a doze. Suddenly my horse 
gave a snort and came close to me and by putting 
my face close to the ground I could see an object. 
I will here say that no matter how dark it is if you 
put your head close to the ground, you can see 
much better. An Indian came up and exclaimed: 
"How? See Indians?" I said: "No. Heap wagons 
come." I did not understand what he was after. 
I thought I would make him think there were more 
of us. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



A DASH FKOM INDIANS. 



then a lone tkadek is found and food ss- 

ct;ked. 

The Indian shook my hand and started in a west- 
ern direction. After he had gone a httle ways, he 
commenced to 5^ eh: "Who-e-e, who-e-e." He made 
the plains ring. I thought he might be calling up 
other Indians and as I was cold and wet, I conclud- 
ed to saddle u^d and move on. It was so dark that 
I could not see the road and the only way I could 
tell I was in the road was by my horse slipping. 
His hoofs were flat and enough rain had fallen to 
make the road slippery. I knew it was not far to 
a creek called 142 or 110, 1 do not remember which. 
But I knew it was a great camping place for trains 
and I was in hopes that I would find a train there. 
Then I thought I heard some one yell. That gave me 
encouragement to press on. After a time, I heard 
voices, and I decided that a train w^as near and the 
voices I heard w^ere those of men on guard. If I 
found a train in camp I could get som thing to eat, 



Old Santa Fe Trail 71 

of which I was in great need, as I had subsisted on 
coffee more than two days. When I got near the 
creek, there were high weeds on both sides of the 
road with just enough room for a wagon. I was 
expecting to find the camp on the other side of the 
creek but I was much disappointed. 

All at once I met a lot of Indians walking. They 
were scattered from one side of the road to the 
other. They took my horse by the bridle. Some 
held me by the legs. Others pulled my horse's 
tail. They kept up a continual jabber. I did not 
attempt to reply to them. Of one thing I was sure 
and that was I was at their mercy. But still I was 
not frightened for I had the consolation that Indians 
never kiU a lone traveler. I have no doubt I was 
safer alone than if with two or three others. They fi- 
nally released my bridle and my legs and congre- 
gated behind my horse. I gave my horse a sudden 
kick and he sprang away in a lope which he kept up 
until I felt safe. Soon I heard a horse coming to- 
wards me. I dismounted and led my horse to one 
side until they had passed. When daylight came, 
I found my saddle had injured my horse's back. I 
had not taken pains to put it on right and my 
horse's back swelled on each side in great lumps as 
big as my head. So I had to throw my saddle 
away and drive my horse in front of me. He be- 
came stiff and I had to lash him to make him go. 

About the middle of the day, I saw an American 
flag some distance ahead on a pole. Soon I saw a 
tent and when I reached it a white man came out 
to greet me. How glad I was and he appeared to 



72 What I Saw on the 

be as glad as I. He was one of the MeGee broth- 
ers from Kansas City, Mo. They were great Indian 
traders. He brought whiskey and a few other 
articles to sell to the Indians. Mr. McGee offered 
me a dram and at first I refused. He said it would 
be the best thing for me. So I took it. He then 
gave me food which I needed. I wondered why he 
had an American flag over his place and I have de- 
cided that he did it to protect himself from the In- 
dians. They could have wiped him out any time 
but they had great respect for the power repre- 
sented by the flag. So McGee used it to impress 
the Indians that he must be left alone. 



CHAPTER XV. 



TO CIVILIZATION. 



THE KAW AGENCY AND THB QUAKER MISSION 

REACHED. 

I reached Council Grove that evening. As I ap- 
reached the Agency, I heard a pitiful wail from the 
Indians. An old Indian came out to meet me and 
he explained their trouble. He said: "Comanche 
kiUumKaw." The Kav/ Indians had the reputa- 
tion of being cowardly. On that account they were 
despised by the other tribes. Indians had their 
hunting grounds divided as we do our states. Some- 
times their boundry lines were in dispute. Then 
they had a kind of an Indian Monroe doctrine to 
enforce. Whenever a Kaws trespassed on other 
tribes, he was sent to the happy hunting ground. 
Whenever the Kaws were scared they would flock 
from all over their reservation to Council Grove, 
the Kaw agency. Their tents were in groups 
around the village. They would kneel down and set 
up the most pitiful wail I ever heard. It was their 
manner of mourning. They kept it up until 



74 What I Saw on the 

nearly morning I noticed then that each had 
a streak of white clay across the top of his 
head. The old chief and about a dozen other bucks 
formed a circle on Hay's porch. The chief was the 
center. He would rap on the floor to keep time and 
they sang a good many Indian melodies. I fared 
well at the Agency. Mr. Hays and his kind wife 
did all in their power to make it pleasant. They 
had a colored woman for a servant. I felt very 
awkward when I went to the table. I did not know 
how to use my knife and fork. I had forgotten on 
which side of my plate to set my cup. I got a good 
rest and was in no great hurry to leave for my 
horse did not improve. Before I left a Mexican 
train came up bound for Kansas City. It belonged 
to Armeho, a very noted Mexican freighter. With 
the train were four passengers, a single w^hite lady, 
two young white men and a negro and to my sur- 
prise the negro w^as Jordan who had sung at the 
fandango at Fort Albuquerque. I made arrange- 
ments with Armeho to go through in his train. 
There was a large three-seated carriage in which 
we all rode. I turned my horse loose with the 
extra mules and ponies which were driven in front 
of the train. The two young men were rivals for 
the favors of the young lady and could not help 
showing their jealousy. Jordan and I enjoyed watch- 
ing them. She seemed to show no partiality and 
both were wrought to a red heat. Afterward she 
married one at Kansas City. 

The Santa Fe trail passed the Quaker mission 
fa^rm on the east. I decided to leave the train and 



Old Santa Fe Trail 75 

take a near cut across the farm. I offered to pay 
Armeho for traveling with him but he would take 
nothing. When I took my poor horse out of the 
herd, he was a sight. The Mexicans had split his 
hide to whang strings. He was stiffened up and 
could not get out of their way. They used large 
blacksnake whips with both hands and when they 
struck an animal, they would lay the hide open. 

I passed diagonally through the farm and as I 
was passing the corn crib, I heard Richard Men- 
denhall laughing. He was in the crib and saw me. 
He exclaimed: **Thee looks like thee had not wash- 
ed thy face, combed thy hair or washed thy shirt 
since thee left here last spring." I at once began 
to realize that I had reached civilization. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



TROUBLED KANSAS. 



THE FIRST ASSAULT EVER MADE BY BORDER 

RUFFIANS. 

I had been over five months among Indians, Mex- 
icans and trainmen who never take any special 
pains with their toilet. I saw the rebel prisoners 
march into Camp Morton and they were a dirty and 
ragged set, but in comparison with the men who 
have bull- whacked across the plains and back, one 
might have thought the rebels were going to church 
instead of to prison. On the plains we did our own 
mending. We patched our clothes with flour 
sacks. The suit we started with is worn all week. 
There are no laundries on the plains. No barber 
shops. No bath houses. So I was not surprised 
at Friend MendenhaU's personal remark. Wlien 
he came out of the crib he gave me a shaking up. 
He made sport of my horse and asked what kind of 
animal it was. But he escorted me to the house 
and neither Mrs. MendenhaU nor Mrs. Thayer, 
wife of the superintendent, knew me. They said: 



Old Santa Fe Trail 77 

"Is it possible that this is James Little who left 
here last spring?" Even the Indian children were 
shy of me. 

The dining room was in the basement, Indians 
and whites eating at the same table which reached 
almost the length of a long room. I had forgotten 
that the Friends sit a little while before commenc- 
ing to eat. Without thinking, I turned my plate 
over and was ready to proceed. Then I saw my 
error. I was governed more by a habit formed on 
the plains. There, if one felt thankful for blessings 
it was not the custom to make a statement either 
vocally or silently. The intent of the heart was 
what counted there. I saw that all at the table no- 
ticed my blunder. Even the Indians, whom they 
were trying to civilize, noticed it. But I set myself 
right by waiting until aU were ready and when the 
bell tapped, we all took an even start. 

I was at a loss to know how to handle my cup 
and knife and fork, but by watching the others I 
managed to get along. 

I also found that it bothered me to get accustom- 
ed to sleeping in the house. The air seemed op- 
pressive. A man will form habits in camp life that 
are hard to break. I have often heard our boys 
say that six months traveling on the plains seemed 
more than six years at home. 

The next day I went to Westport to a barber shop. 
I also bought a suit of clothes. I felt so different 
that I hardly realized that I was the same fellow. 
They did not recognize me at the Mission and Mrs. 
Thayer said: "Is it possible that this is the 



78 What I Saw on the 

same James Little that left here this morning?'* 
Kansas was now open for settlers and the early 
settlers were arriving from the east. There was a 
warm feeling growing between the free state peo- 
ple and the pro-slavery people. The question was 
whether Kansas should be a slave state or a free 
state. One day a young Southerner got up on a 
box in the street in Westport and made a speech to 
lire up the pro-slavery people. There were wagons 
psssing along the street loaded with goods, with 
women and children on top of the load. They were 
the first arrivals of the Massachusetts Emigrant 
Aid society. In his remarks the southerner turn- 
ed, and pointing to the wagons, said: "Why do you 

allow these d d Abolitionists to come here? 

The next thing you know they will steal your nig- 
gers." Tlie better class of citizens did not approve 
of such remarks, but the speaker was surrounded 
by a set of ruffians who cheered him. After he had 
finished speaking, a crowd assembled on a corner. 
I was on the opposite side of the street. A man 
came w^alking briskly down the street where the 
crowd had assembled. One of the gang stepped 
out and said to the man: "Do you belong to the 
Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Society?" I did not 
hear the answer but I think he said he did. The 
ruffian said: "Then you are an Abolitionist," and 
sprang at him and ga;Ve him a terrible choking. 
This was the first man that was ever molested by 
the Border Ruffians. The affair created much ex- 
citement. It was the commencement of the civil 
war. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



GETS HIS MONEY. 



TEN DOLI^ARS BONUS FOR DRIVING WITHOUT 

SWEARING. 

I did not hear from our train for two or three 
weeks as it was quarantined before it got in. 
Tlieir camp was not far from where Olathe now is. 
I did not take much interest in the train as I did 
not expect to get anything more for my services on 
account of deserting. I felt that I had done noth- 
ing dishonorable for I had fulfihed my part of the 
contract. But I did notknovvhow Majors would view 
the matter. One of the men from the Mission met 
Majors at Westport who told him he was going to 
pay oft at his house the next day and Majors said 
for me to come down. His farm w'as about four 
miles off on the Missouri and Kansas line. So I 
footed it down there next day and when I was in 
sight of the place I sav/ the boys standing in 
a group. As soon as I was in hearing distance, 
they began to cheer and cry: "Come, Hoos- 
ier, and get your ten dooUars." I did not un- 
derstand what it meant, but Majors asked me 



80 What I Saw on the 

if I had sworn while on the trip. I told him I 
had not. He asked the boys if they had heard me 
swear and they all said they had not. Then he 
handed me a ten dollar gold piece. The wagon 
master said I lacked a little of standing out my 
guard and that would be deducted with $50 paid 
for my horse. Majors eulogized me and asked me 
if I was ever before paid for doing right. He offered 
me empolyment, but I had enough. 

Yvhen I got back to the Mission that evening I 
had a very favorable report and showed my ten 
dollar gold piece. Mat Hadley and Jehu Hadley 
came that day. It was the "first time I had ever 
seen them to know them. A few years afterwards 
I was in the Danville post offl.ce one day and told 
my story but I felt that no one believed me: Mat, 
v^ho was standing near, slapped me on the shoulder 
and said: "I know you now. I was at the Mission 
VvTien you came back with your ten dollars." 

It was often stated in that country and once in 
my presence that an Indianian actually drove an ox 
team across the plains and back without swearing. 
I recently w^rote to Cyrus Rogers, who lives in the 
Indian Territory, and asked if he knew of any In- 
dian or white man who was there when we were. 
His answer was that he does not, that a few years 
ago he saw an Indian named Blue Jacket who was 
the last Shawnee. He is now dead. I have been 
trying to learn if there is any man living who was in 
Kansas a.s early as 1854 and Crj^us is the only one. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



LIFE AT THE MISSION. 



AMUSING INCIDENTS WITH THE INDIANS. 

I could tell many amusing things of the life at 
the Mission. There was a tall Indian boy, 14 or 15 
years old. One dark night Cyrus and I were stand- 
ing at the foot of the stairway that ascended from 
the basement. The Indian boy came down the steps 
and as he landed at the bottom we gathered him in 
and dipped him in a big trough of water. He could 
not see us and he yelled manfully. Mr. Menden- 
hall came out and said: "What is thee and Jim 
doing to Moses?" We said: "Nothing; only giving 
him a bath." He said: "Yes, you are hard cases." 

There were six or eight grown Indian girls and 
they never seemed to like me, and I could not learn 
the reason. One day we met and one named Ma- 
hala said, "Jim, eh, what eh you eh stay eh here 
for. You eh no Quaker. You white man. " There 
was no use to try to convince them that a Quaker 
was a white man. They looked on Quakers as a 
different race. Richard Mendenhall's wife, Sarah, 



82 What I Saw ox the 

had false teeth, the first I had seen. Som times she 
wore them and sometimes she did not. The In- 
dians noticed this, and they were greatly puzzled. 
So they all met her one day and Mahala did the ques- 
tioning. She said: "Sarah, what eh for you some- 
times have teeth and some eh times you don't?" 
At fij'st she did not tell them, but finally she did. 

There were three Choteau brothers, Frenchmen, 
all married to Indism squaAvs. Their children were 
educated at the M. E. Mission South, or the Tom 
Johnson Mission, as it was called. One of their 
wives told me that she was born in Indiana, 
on ^.Viiite Lick, when the Shawn ees were moving 
from Ohio to Kansas. I had often heard my par- 
ents and other old settlers speak of the occurrence. 
A child died and was buried in the Irons cemetery, 
located on the east bank of White Lick creek in 
Hendricks Co., Indiana, the first hurried there. 
While in camp a child was born in the company. 
This Vvom.an's age corresponded to the time they 
were camped there. '\^liile they were at camp John 
McMullen and Uncle Bob Little wrestled with the 
bucks and threw them. The men claimed that 
their grandfather laid out St. Louis. The name is 
pronounced Shoto. 

When the first Kansas emigrants arrived, there 
were no places of entertainm.ent. They lived most- 
ly in camp. It was well-known that the Quakers 
w^ere abolitionists, so leading free-state people 
stopped at the Mission. The Quakers were so in- 
terested in having Kansas a free state that they 
were frequently imposed upon. 



Old Santa Fe Trail 83 

One singular circumstance I learned was that 
there is no vulgarity in the Indian language. Indi- 
ans name things from circumstances that take 
place at the time. If a child is born and a horse 
dies, the child is called "Dead Horse." Nearly all 
of the Indian children put in school were renamed. 
A great many of their names are ridiculously vul- 
gar when translated into English. I was present 
when they enrolled the names of Indians and In- 
dian families after the Kansas treaty, so they could 
receive their annuity from the goverment. They 
were required to give their Indian names and to in- 
terpret them. A great many names were so vulgar 
they were not recorded. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



QUAKER MISSION FAMILY. 



A VISIT TO SKOTOS— AN EFFORT TO CIVILIZE IN- 
DIAN GIRLS. 

Eli Thayer was Superintendent of the Quaker 
Mission. He had a wife and two children, a son 
and daughter. They were from West Milton, Mi- 
ami county, Ohio. Eli V7as an invalid and was seldom 
away from the house. Mrs. Thayer was an excel- 
lent, motherly Quaker lady. She was a mother to 
the Indian children. Elizabeth, their oldest, was a 
model young woman and reflected much sunshine 
a.t the Mission. She always had a kind word 
for every one. The Indian girls all loved her, and 
her example shed a great influence over them. 
James, their son, was a lad of about twelve. Rich- 
ard Mendenhall, the teacher, was from Plaintield, 
Indiana. His family consisted of a wife and son. 
Mrs. Mendenhall, or Sarah Ann as she was called, 
was a plain, motherly Quaker lady. Charles was 
about ten years old and said thee and thou. Cyrus 
Rogers was a young man from Hendricks county. 



Old Santa Fe Trail 85 

Indiana. He was the Mission Farmer. Altogether 
I never knew a more peaceable collection of people. 
Even the Indian children were more submissive 
than most white children. I never heard of any- 
kind of punishment being inflicted by Mendenhall 
in the Indian school. 

One Sunday afternoon Cyrus Rogers said to me: 
" Jim, lets get Elizabeth to coax some of the Indian 
girls to go with us to Shotos and have some fun." 
"All right," I said. So we proposed the matter to her 
and she was in for it. She soon made arrangements 
with four of the girls to accompany us. Shotos 
lived about two miles to the west. There were three 
Shoto brothers, all married to squaws. They were 
intelligent Frenchmen and owned slaves when Kan- 
sas was a territory. The girls were walking in a 
group a little ahead of us. Cyrus said, "Jim I will 
walk with Elizabeth and you walk with one of the 
Indian girls." So I sprang forward and overtook 
them and offered my services to Mahala, as she was 
the most civiUzed one of them. It was a great sur- 
prise to her. She suddenly bucked, then I halted; 
then she pitched forward and I ran and caught up; 
then she would dodge back and forth, and finally re- 
treated back to the Mission. I discovered I was 
not popular with the Indian girls. They never 
seemed to like me. The meanest thing they could 
say was to caU me a white man. They thought the 
Quakers were a different tribe. I did not use the 
plain language. I told Cyrus that I would walk 
with Elizabeth and for him to walk with one of the 
girls. So he said he would make the attempt, but 



86 What I Saw on TSi: 

he did not have any better success than I. He had 
a terrible chase after one, and she got away and 
went back to the Mission. So that only left us two. 
Matters were not going right. We did not know 
how to proceed but we held a council and it was de- 
cided that I should make another advance. It was 
a forlorn hope, but I had orders and must not show 
cowardice; so I made another effort and completely 
failed. She would pitch out ahead of me and then 
jump back behind me, and I would charge up to her 
side. She called me ail sorts of names, some in In- 
dian and some in Engiisli. One I remember vras 
"Skunk." She went back to tiie Mission, so that 
only left us one and we did not v.'ant to lose her, so 
concluded not to try to go with her until we return- 
ed. We thought that certainly by the time we went 
back we would have her civilized so we could go with 
her. We finally arrived at the Slioto house and en- 
tered. Vv^e found two old squaws sitting in the 
room and neither could speak a word in English, 
but they soon brought the two daughters in and 
they invited us into the Indian parlor. The house 
was a large, double- room log house with a kitchen 
shedded to one side. The parlor was neatly fur- 
nished. The young ladies were educated at the M. 
E. Mission South. They were rather good looking 
and reasonably inteUigent, but adopted the customs 
of white people and made themselves agreeable. 
We had a pleasant evening and remained quite a 
while. AVhen we started to return the Shoto girls 
v/ent a short distance with us. They then bade us 
good bye and started to returned to the house. 



Old Santa Fe Trail 87 

By that time we reached the timber which ex- 
tended to the Quaker Mission. So the time had 
now fully arrived to make an effort to break in our 
only remaining wild Indian girl. We felt sure we 
had the sinch on her: she was a long distance from 
the Mission. It was dark and the road was quite 
lonely and certainly she would accept an escort and 
be delighted with the opportunity; so taking all into 
consideration it gave me great confidence, so I 
approached her in as gentle a manner as possible 
a,nd she started to run as fast as she could go so I 
could not do anything but run after her. When I 
would overtake her she would dodge toone side and 
run back. I gave her several chases and she took 
to the brush but Indian like she could out run me 
in the brush, so she escaped from me and the last 
I heard of her she was making the brush crack 
so I gave up the chase. I had got the mitten before 
but I never had such an experience before. We 
never saw her any more and were afraid she would 
not be able to make her way back to the Mission. 
W^e approached, with fear and trembling. But 
when we got to the house Richard Mendenhall came 
out meeting us and said with great earnestness 
Cyrus what have you and James been doing to the 
Indian girls. We answered by saying the object 
at the Mission is to civilize them and teach them 
the customs of white people and \Ye had only been 
giving them a lesson. He said they had been com- 
ing in one at a time ever since we started and 
everyone had told a bad story about how they had 
been trea^ted. The one that got e.way and made her 



88 What I Saw on the 

escape, had got in a long time before our arrival 
I found out later where we made a grand mistake. 
"VVe tresspassed on Indian customs. The saying is 
when you are in Rome do as Rome does. When a 
young buck Indian goes with a young squaw he 
either goes in front of her or behind her. It is bad 
manners to walk at her side. Indians while travel- 
ing on ponies always go single. It shows a lack of 
sociability which Indians are much noted for. 



CHAPTER XX. 



INDIANS RECEIVE LAND AND MONEY FROM 
THE GOVERNMENT. 



INDIAN DRESS — DR. BARKER SUPT. OF BAPTIST MLS- 
SION, CAMP MEETING. 

What was known as the Missouri Compromise 
act which was passed in 1820, which prohibited 
slavery north and west of Missouri was repealed in 
1854. The Territory of Nebraska was divided into 
two parts. The south part was named Kansas and 
the north part retaining the name Nebraska. The 
Territory was purchased from the Indians which 
included several tribes. Each tribe had a reserva- 
tion set off. My recollection is that each Indian 
was allowed 200 acres of land and their annuity in 
money accruing from land sold to the government. 
I remember that just before the books were closed 
on the Shawnee land an old Indian came down from 
the Kaw River in an excited manner to an old In- 
dian Church House, where they were in the act of 
completing the enrollment and made the announce- 



90 What I Saw on the 

ment that his wife had twins which entitled him to 
400 acres more land, besides a large sum of annuity 
money. He had already had his large family en- 
rolled and the new arrival was a great addition 
to the amount of land and money he was previous- 
ly entitled to. It caused a great deal of amusement 
for the Indians who were less fortunate. It was a 
great harvest for the merchants when the Indians 
received their annual payments. They knew just 
how much each Indian would draw from the gov- 
ernment and they would credit them to something 
near the amount. 

I once heard John B. Scott, w^ho was agent for 
the Sac and Fox Indians remark that at that time 
the Indians owed him ten thousand dollars. Some 
one remarked: "You don't expect to collect near all 
of it do you?" He said he expected to coUect every 
cent of it. He said on pay-day he would be on 
hand with his book where the Indians would have to 
pass him after they had received their money and 
every Indian w^ould stop and pay the full amount 
of their indebtedness. He said, "Of course it would 
not be safe to allow them to pass without a set- 
tlement, for most Indians are great spendthrifts". 
Indians are the best customers in the world. 
My observation was that most Indian traders got 
rich who were out on the frontiers in an early day. 
Indians don't stand on price if an article is attract- 
ive with red predominating. A credit is also a 
great inducement. Many of them feel as though 
they were getting something for nothing. One of 
the many articles of dress with the squawks is a fine 



Old Santa Fe Trail 91 

shawl with iiashy colors. It was no uncommon 
thing for them to pay fifty dollars for a shawl and 
frequently twice that amount. I frequently saw 
them riding pony back in a calico dress, a fifty 
dollar shawl, a gay handkerchief tied on their heads^ 
and hankerchief tied on each arm and a number of 
iiashy ones tied around their waist. Aw^ay they 
would ride to or from town with their pony going 
at a break-neck speed. While at the Quaker Mis- 
sion I often heard Mrs. Tliayer, the superintend- 
ents wife, and Sarah Ann, wife of Richard Menden- 
hall, lecture the Indian girls about taking better 
care of their clothing. The girls would reply, "Ob 
don't care, get more, not long till annuity." That 
meant the government would pay an annual pay- 
ment in money. They all had the w^ord a^nnuity 
down fine. They all looked forw^ard with a bright 
anticipation to pay day. I often heard them ex- 
claim "I will get so and so wiien I get annuity." A 
young man by the name of Jo DeShane a half breed 
Shavvnee wiiose father was a Frenchman was 
a favorite clerk in a big Indian store in Westport. 
He spake a number of Indian languages beside 
French and English. He could adapt his conver- 
sation to a great diversity of customers. During the 
sickly season in hot weather he would take a vaca- 
tion which he spent at the Quaker Mission wiiere 
he was always welcomed. He was one of the neat- 
est young men I ever saw. He always dressed in 
the finest clothes which was of the latest fashion. 
He never allow^ed a speck of dirt on his clothes. 
His hair w^as rather long and as blacli as a raven 



92 What I Saw on the 

which was combed and brushed to perfection. 
During harvest time at the Mission he would go 
out and make a full hand. He was very industrious. 
He wore his finest clothes in the harvest field which 
were as neatly brushed as if he had been going to a 
party. Dr. Barker the superintendent of the Bap- 
tist Mission was perhaps the first or one of the 
earliest Missionaries in Kansas. I think he told 
me he had been there near forty years. The Mis- 
sion House stood in a dense forest of timber. He 
told me when he built the Mission house he built it 
in an open prairie and the timber had grown up 
since. The Dr. took great interest in teaching the 
Indians music. He said all Indians had a talent for 
music. I attended preaching several times at the 
Indian church where the Dr. preached. An In- 
dian interpreter stood by the Dr's. side. His name 
was Cormoppee. Barker would speak a sentence 
in English and then Cormoppee would repeat the 
same in Shawnee for the benefit of old Indians who 
could not understand English. Dr. Barker transla- 
ted a collection of old familiar hymns such as 
"When I can read my title clear," "Amazing grace," 
etc. The hymns were arranged in the book so the 
hymn on the left was in Enghsh and on the opposite 
page the same hymn was in Shawnee Indian. So 
the singers could take choice so both Indian and 
English were sang at the same time. I some times 
sang in Indian, there was no trouble in pronounc- 
ing the words, it was the novelty of the thing I liked. 
I attended an Indian camp meeting which was 
held by the Shawnee Indians. It was well attend- 



Old Santa Fe Trail 93 

ed, some Indians of other tribes also attended. 
The Indians are quite noisy in their meetings. 
The Indians hke the Quakers but don't join the 
church. I never knew but one Indian to belong to 
the Friends church. There was an old Indian who 
belonged to the Friends church. He attended wor- 
ship every Sunday at the Quaker Mission, I asked 
Mendenhall why they never joined the Friends and 
he said the Quakers were too quiet. They like noisy 
meetings. They like to sing loud; shout and make 
lots of noise. Indians have strict rules. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



KANSAS OPEN FOR SETTLERS. 



EMIGRANT AID SOCIETY— CONTEST BETWEEN NORTH 

AND SOUTH BEGINS — CHANGE THE NAME OF 

A TOWN. 

Kansas was opened for settlement the first of 
June 1854. But few settlers moved into the Ter- 
ritory until fall. The pro- slavery people of the 
south and especially of Missouri was greatly sur- 
prised that there vvas such a rush of Northern peo- 
ple to Kansas. They felt sure of making it a slave 
state so there was a great effort both north and 
south to win the Territory. The south for slavery, 
and the north for freedom when it would be admit- 
ted into the union. The pro-slavery people held 
meeting and passed resolutions in order to intim- 
idate the abolitionist and in the meantime the Mas- 
sachusetts Emigrant Aid Society was organized. 
They gave free transportation and arms for defence. 
About the only conveyance from the east to Kansas 
was by steam boats on the Missouri river. Every 
boat was loaded with eastern people. A great 



Old Santa Fb Tp.ail 95 

Biany Bostonians, a large xx)rtioii of them only re- 
mained a few days. It was too great a change for 
them, so they returned to the east. Some only re.- 
mained over one night. A committee was sent out by 
the Aid Society to select a town site and lay out a 
yankee city. It resulted in the laying out of Law- 
rence but that was not what it was named at 
first. They called their future city Wakarusa 
after a stream near by. The leaders made their 
headquarters at the Quaker Mission where I was 
stopping. At times the house was crowded; it was 
the only convenient place to stay. They felt they 
were among free state people where they could give 
expression to their sentiments. Tlie mails from the 
east were uncei'tain as the steamboats carried ail 
the mail from the east. Emigrants were quite anx- 
ious to hear from their friends in the east. "^»l:en 
one of the number received a letter they were near- 
ly crazy to hear the news. So they passed reso- 
lutions that aU letters not of a private nature should 
be read cut so aU could have the benefit of the 
latest news. I was generally around and heard their 
letters vocahzed. At times it was quite amusing. 
AIL spoke in high praise of the beautiful Indian 
name they had adopted. Wakarusa was such a 
beautiful name. It was so romantic. They liked 
it because it was an Indian name. They spoke 
words of caution to not allow any western phrases 
to creep into their colonj'. Lets make it purely an 
eastern city and keep up the customs of eastern 
people. Eveiy letter spoke in high pi-aiseof the 
beautiful name Wakarusa. A city by that name 



96 Weat I Saw on the 

would of its self be a great send-off. But finally 
some one of an enquiring turn of mind wrote a let- 
ter and said they would like to have the meaning of 
Wakarusa, it certainly must have a good meaning. 
No one had ever thought of it before, it was a stun- 
ner. No one knew. They ascertained that it was 
a Kaw Indian word, but the Kaw Indians had gone 
to Council Grove. They were determined to find 
out if possible. So they sent a committee to Coun- 
cil Grove some 150 miles to the southwest on the old 
Santa Fe trail to interview the Indians. They 
found some very aged Kaws who gave the origin of 
the name. They said a great many years ago a 
party of Kaws were crossing the stream on foot. 
All got across except an old squaw who made a 
great demonstration when the cold w^ater struck 
her about the waist, it greatly amused the Indians. 
So they cried out WaJcarusa which gave rise to the 
name of the stream. So they dropped the name 
Y/akarusa. It put a damper on them. So they 
were at sea for quite a while. Other names were 
proposed in nearly all their letters but they could 
not agree on any name. So finally it was announc- 
ed that the president and treasurer of their society, 
a wealthy Bostouian by the name of Lawrence, pro- 
posed tha.t if they would name the city Lawrence 
he would make the future city a present of a library 
worth several thousand dollars. I could see it put 
a smile on the guests of the Quaker Mission. The 
name w^as agreed on at once. It is not always best 
to be too particular about the interpretation of In- 
dian names. Let Indian names alone and don't try 



Old Santa Fe TraIr 97 

to anglicize them. Indian names are all right. The 
interpretation of Chicago is Skunk. You don't 
hear of the citizens of that burg talking of changing 
the name. Tliere is a town in Kansas and one in 
northern Indiana named Wakarusa. There is no 
stigma attached to the name. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



RICHARD MEXDENHALL, 



A QUAKER KEIiO. 

If I were asked Tvbo, in my opinion, were the 
three greatest heroes that figured in Kansas during 
the "Border Ruffian Warfare," I should, without 
hesitation name James H. Lane, John Brown and 
Richard Mendenhah; but the weapons used by 
Lane and Brown were cjnite di^erent from those 
used by Mendenhah. The two lirst named used 
fire-arms and no braver men ever faced death in 
the cause of freedom. Their very names was a ter- 
ror to the Border Ruffians. They proved them.- 
seives to be men who had nerves of steel. They 
stood their ground and fought the enemy when 
they were greatly in the minority. The earl^^ set- 
tlers of Kansas never fully realized the protection 
they received from Lane and Brown. Mendenhali 
did not fight with fire-arms. He was a true Qua- 
ker and believed the "pen was mighter than the 
sword," We never saw his nam.e m.entioned in de- 
scribing bloody confiicts; but every mxoment of his 




RICHARD MEXDEXHAT.L 



Old Santa Fa Trail. 101 

time that he had to spare was occupied in writing 
letters pleading the freedom of Kansas. I have no 
doubt he accomplished more for the cause of free- 
dom for Kansas than any man who ever lived there. 
He never seemed to manifest the least degree of 
fear. In conversation or in his writing he was out- 
spoken on the blighting influence of slavery. He 
wrote thousands of letters that were published in 
most of the leading papers of the country. He de- 
nounced the pro-slavery party witli all the force his 
words could convey. He plead with the people of 
the North to not let the threats of the pro-slavery 
ruffians intimidate them. He appealed to the 
friends of freedom to try to induce the emigration 
of free-state people to fill the territory with liber- 
ty-loving people, so that when the time cam.e to ad- 
mit it into the Union it would enter as a free state. 
Nearly every mail that went out carried letters ad- 
dressed to ail parts of the country earnestly plead- 
ing the cause of freedom in Kansas. He became 
so well knovvm that letters of inquiry poured in by 
the hundred. I have heard it stated that he received 
the largest mail of any man in Kansas. No m^an 
had greater notoriety in the territory at that time, 
and all knevv' he v/as an ultra Abolitionist and they 
were the class of settlers most despised by the 
pro-slavery element, a fact which Richard fully re- 
alized. It seemed to me that he was offering him- 
self as a sacrifice in the cause of liberating the 
slaves. It was strange to me how he escaped with 
his life. He remained in Kansas during the entire 
struggle, denouncing the enemies of the free-state 



102 What I Saw on the 

cause. He openly expressed himself at all times. 
When his friends cautioned him to be more conser- 
vative his reply was; "He was only contending for 
the cause of justice." During the five years of the 
Border Ruffian Warfare he remained in the thickest 
of it. No man was better known and no man ex 
pressed himself stronger against the pro-slavery 
element than he, and yet he was never molested or 
even threatened by any one. 

I think it was in 1855 that he left the Quaker Mis- 
sion Farm and took a claim a little south of Osa- 
watomie, Vv^hich is close to the western boundary of 
Missouri. Many of the tragedies committed dur- 
ing the Kansas troubles was in the neighborhood 
of Osawatomie. In 1859 I was living at Neosho 
Falls, in Woodson county, and it was while there 
we had our first election under the territorial law, 
and I v/as employed to carry the returns toTopeka 
on foot. The county paid mie one dollar a day and 
expenses. On my return I went to Osawatomie. 
It was a long v/ays out of my way. I spent a v>^eek 
at Richard Mendenhalls. His farm was peculiar- 
ily situated. Richard called his place CresentHill. 
I could not give a better description of it than to 
compare it to ahorse shoe lying with the corks to 
the west and his farm inside the shoe and his 
house between the corks. It was a beautiful place 
nearly surrounded by a rocky ridge. Richard had 
built a stone fence which enclosed his farm. He 
took me on top of the bluff over the cork of the 
horse shoe, which pointed to the north-v/est, and 
showed me where he sat on a rock in plain view of 



Old Santa Fe Trail 103 

Osawatomie and saw a large band of border ruffians 
cross the stream from the north and fire the town, 
and retreat back across the stream and disappear 
to the north. He said he expected they would pay 
him a visit but he believed his obscurity saved him. 
He said if they had started in the direction of his 
place he should have placed himself and family in 
hiding. I was told of a circumstance that took 
place in the neighborhood a short time before I 
was there. A slave who was concealed in the neigh- 
borhood by a school teacher and others, was a fugi- 
tive from across the line. His old master came on 
horse-back and made inquiry and he was told that 
his slave was in the neighborhood and they would 
deliver him up. So the master waited till they 
brought out the slave. They made the master 
change suits of clothes with the slave and put the 
slave on the horse and started him west and 
marched the master on foot across the line. Too 
bad. too bad. 

[The following letter written by Richard Men- 
denhall to the Danville Advertiser and published 
by that paper June 24th, 1854, will be of interest 
to our readers.] 

JOTTINGS FROM THE WEST. 

Kansas Territory, 

6th month, 5th, 1854. 

A meeting was held in our post town, Westport, 

Missouri, a few days ago, to consider what steps should 

be taken to prevent emigration from the free States, into 

this Territory. Some fiery speeches were made, urging the 



104 What I Saw on the 

people to keep back such emigration, peaceable if they 
could, but with the musket and bowie knife, if they must; 
at all hazards to keep it out. The speakers admitted that 
there was no hope of securing Nebraska for Slavary, but 
they were determined to carry it into Kansas, come what 
might. Resolutions were passed, embodying the sentiment 
of the speeches, and a wish express that they might be 
X:)ublished all over the Union. I hope that they may be 
published in every paper in the free States, that the people 
may see to what desperate expedients the slave power can 
resort, not that we entertain any fear that such a move- 
ment will be made. The advocates of slavery extension 
cannot be so lost to reason, as seriously to think of such 
a thing. Those fire eating orators failed to get up a spirit 
of enthusiasm. I came into tJie town, soon after the meet- 
ing closed, and I discovered no excitement more than 
usual, and thoug'h I learned incidentally that there had 
been a meeting, I did not know w^hat were its objects until 
some days afterv.^ards. It is not believed that any con- 
siderable number of the people of Missouri, vrould sanction 
such a measure. Many of them are oppossed to slavrey 
and some speak out openly against it. The pronunciations 
of the speakers were said to be rich. They spoke in high 
terms of Douglas, or Dooglas as they called hhn. 

Where are your advocates of "State rights and squatter 
sovereignty?" "What say they to such a movement as 
this?" Now that the question cf slavery is left to the 
people of the territories, will they see that the advocates 
of freedom liave a fair chance, or will they hatch up some 
plea to justify these fire eaters? 

Such a measure would be a heavy blow on the wedge that 
seems likely to sever the Union. I have always been an 
advocate of the perpetuity of the Union so long as it sub- 
serves the general good of the people, but when it becomes 
the same means of extending slavery into all our free ter- 
ritories, I say down with the Union, I would gladly see iu 
rent to pieces. 

There are a few bold spirits here, who will stand up to 



Old Santa Pe Trail 105 

the contest for freedom, to the last extremity, and we trust 
that the number may soon be increased by accession from 
the free States. Let no one be deterred from coming by 
these fiery demonstrations of slavery. Just keep cool, and 
come ahead. We intend to kindle a fire here for liberty 
that will frighten the enemies of freedom back into the dark 
dens of slavery. 

RICHARD MENDENHALL. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



L. X. AUBRAY. 



A GREAT CHARACTER. 

L. X. Aubray was a great character on the plains. 
A history of the Santa Fe trail without mention of 
him would be as incomplete as a history of the civil 
war without a mention of Gen. Grant. Yet I doubt 
if his name appears in any history of frontier life. 
His most active career was during Gen. Fremont's 
explorations of Oregon and California. His deeds 
were overlooked by historians and very little is 
known of them. When I landed on the border, the 
name of L. X. Aubray was a household word. He 
was a great freighter. He was also a trader on his 
own account and shipped to many points in the 
southwest. He was tall and straight as an Indian, 
a man of nerve and absolutely without fear. The 
Indians regarded him as a spirit and he was never 
molested by them. He was a great horse back 
rider and his endurance in the saddle was without 
parallel. He wagered large sums of money that he 
could travel long distances in a given time. In 



Old Santa Fe Trair 107 

1853 he wagered that he could ride from Santa Pe 
to Independence, Missouri, in five days. He had 
several trains on the trail with a horse of great en- 
durance in each. So he could exchange a mount in 
a minute and proceed at breakneck speed. He 
slept one hour at Council Grove. He then had 150 
miles to travel to reach Independence. When he 
reached that point, his friends had to take him from 
his horse in an almost unconscious state. The dis- 
tance was 800 miles and he road it in a little over 
four and one-half days and won the bet. In 1854, 
he made a bet that he could travel from San Fran- 
cisco to Santa Fe in a certain time. When he ar- 
rived at Santa Fe, an army officer greeted him. As 
is the custom in that country, they had some drinks 
at the bar and while drinking, Aubray asked the 
officer what had become of the newspaper he had 
published at Albuquerque. The officer said it died 
a natural death. Aubray said: "It ought to have 
died. You published lies on my traveling." In an 
instant, each drew his weapon, Aubray a revolver 
and the officer a knife. The officer got in his work 
too quick and sent his knife to Aubray 's heart who 
expired immediately. 

So ended the career of a man of great courage 
who left the world without a written history. I 
suppose it would be hard to find one who had ever 
heard of him. The wonderful cowboy stories and 
the Buffalo Bill fame has all been made since he 
passed off the stage. What I have written trans- 
pired before cowboy days and before William Cody 
was ever heard of. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



OLD JOHN BROWN. 

John Brown was born in Tarkington, Connecticut, 
May the 9th 1800. His father's family moved to 
Ohio and settled near Akron at a small town named 
Kent, a few miles east of Akron. In 1816 he joined 
the Congregational church. He married Dantha 
Lusk in 1821. In 1830 Ms first wife died, in 1833 
July 11th he married Mary Ann Day. He was en- 
gaged in raising sheep and was a dealer in w^ool. 
He had much experience in the sheep and w^ool bus- 
iness but was not a successful business man. At 
times he lost a good deal of money dealing in w^ool 
but it is said he w^as an excellent judge of that pro- 
duct. He Yv^as sympathetic and always opposed to 
the institution of slavery. "When Kansas was 
opened for settlement June the 1st, 1854, five 
of his sons went to Kansas. Their names 
were John, Jason, Owen, Frederic and Salmon. 
Jason's boy four years old died on the way. They 
took aJmost no weapons but as many tools and fruit 
trees as they could carry. Brown vras keeping well 



Old Santa Fe Trail 111 

posted on the disturbances by the pro-slavery party 
in the Territory, and he told his boys if any of them 
had an idea of going to Kansas to help defeat the 
pro-slavery people he had no objection, but as far 
as he was concerned he felt that he had a work to 
do before going. They afterwards believed he had 
reference to a plan he was divising for getting up an 
insurrection somewhere in Virginia for the purpose 
of freeing the slaves. Although he had never men- 
tioned it to them. He was known to have visited 
Fred Douglas and Garrett Smith to consult on his 
insurection scheme. In 1855 Brown went to Kan- 
sas. His sons had located near a place called 
Osawatomie. They went to work breaking prairie 
and trying to get ready for farming, but they had 
to undergo many hardships and privations. They 
sufferedagood deal from ague and their subsistence 
was quite meager. John Brown also took up a 
claim afterwards in the same neighborhood and 
proceeded to break prairie in as good faith as any 
other settler. It was near the Missouri line and 
was at the time one of the hottest contested places 
in Kansas. The question was whether Kansas 
should be a free or slave state. Before the Mis- 
souri compromise it was thought the question was 
forever settled that slavery could under no circum- 
stances be introduced in Kansas or Nebraska. Bub 
the act introduced by Stephen Douglas which was 
passed in 1854 left it to a majority of the settlers to 
determined whether it should enter into statehood 
free or slave. The slave holders across the line in 
Missouri thought it would never do to allow Kansas 



112 V/HAT I Saw on the 

to become a free state. It would injure them be- 
cause there were thousands of slaves on the border 
and they would be stolen by the abolitionist. So 
free state men confronted pro-slavery men with 
hostility and it vv^as war from the beginning. The 
Brown brothers were forced to take sides. It was 
only a short time until the ire of John Brown was 
stirred up. There was a band of outlaws living on 
Osawatomie creek, who were engaged in robbing 
and killing the free state people. Brown saw it 
was necessary to make some kind of an awful dem- 
onstration, so he ordered out a lot of men who had 
banded themselves together for protection, went to 
their cabins and slew five of them. It was said 
that Brovv^n did not commit the deed himself but 
directed the execution, it had a tendency to quiet 
matters for a wiiile at least. In December 1855 
Jim Lane appointed Brown captain of a company 
called the Free State Rangers. The Emigrant Aid 
Society of New England were sending settlers into 
Kansas as fast as possible, so as to out-vote the 
pro-slavery settlers. They also sent arms and 
ammunition to help their people to protect 
themselves: The Missourians made a raid on 
Lawrence. Brown gave them fight and repulsed 
them, but they killed one free state settler. Brown 
conscientiously believed that nothing would ever 
give the slaves their freedom but war. At first 
there were a portion of conservative free state men 
who believed that Brown was too ultra. By this 
time there were two legislatures, one free state, 
which made Topeka its capital and the pro- slavery 



Old Santa Fe Trail 113 

legislature chose Lecompton for their State capital. 
Each claimed they represented the legal party ac- 
cording to the constitution. Each had an army in 
camp, so it finally resulted in a bush- whacking con- 
test. One of the cleverest exploits that Brown did 
was in ascertaining the strength of a camp of Mis- 
sourians. There was a large body of them in camp- 
ing, so he took two of his men and a tripod and sur- 
veyed a line through their camp carefully chaining 
it. They took him to be a government surveyor and 
he was not molested. In that way Brown ascertain- 
ed their strength. They told him of their plan oi 
raiding Old John Brown. At times Brov/n became 
very impatient with the Northern people for not 
showing a bolder front. It is said that he held re- 
hgious services in camp and that he was being di- 
rected by a higher power. On June 27thlhe with 
twenty-seven men attacked a large company of pro- 
slavery men commanded by Clay Pate. There was 
a hotly contested battle; in which he and his men 
were victorious, but his force was reduced to nine 
men, some were killed and others deserted him. 
Pate and about twenty of his men surrendered. 
Brown exchanged them for free-state men. His son 
was to be the first one hberated. Governor Geary 
of the Lecompton pro-slavery legislature was doing 
all in his power to intimidate and keep out free- 
state settlers. Finally the Southern states got to- 
gether 2,700 men to make a final attack on Law- 
rence, which was the strong-hold of the free-state 
people. Brown and Lane were on hand. Many of 
the free-state people only had pikes and pitch-forks 



114 What I saw on the 

for defense. The free-state forces were assem- 
bled in the street and Old John Brown made a short 
speech. This was September 15th, 1856. He told 
the men this was their last opportunity to get into 
a fight and he cautioned them about taking careful 
aim. A brass cannon was brought out for use. 
The pro-slavery men saw that the free-state were 
in dead earnest and they retreated. This was a de- 
cisive manifestation, and free- state people contin- 
ued to pour in and fill up the territory. Brown 
w^ent to Iowa and enlisted a lot of young men. They 
were Kagi, Edwin Copic and Edwin Cook, all of 
Quaker parentage as were also Reap, Hinton, Ste- 
phens and Dwight of his Kansas fighters. Ste- 
phens w^as employed to drill the men for Captains. 
They were held in reserve, as it will be seen further 
on. On the 30th of August Brown returned to the 
Kansas war-path again, under the leadership of 
James II. Lane. Brown led the Kansas cavalry. 
The same day an attack was made on Osawatomie 
by a band of 400 Missouri border ruffians. Their 
scouts were scouring the country and met one of 
Brown's sons, (Frederick) in a road that led 
through the woods. Fredrick believed them to be 
free- state men, but w^as shot down like a dog with- 
out warning. The gang that murdered the boy w^as 
led by a pro-slavery Baptist preacher by the name 
of Wliite. Another man was murdered about the 
same time. Brown was several miles off. He had 
in his company thirty men and made an attack on 
them in a thick woods, which resulted in the kill- 
ing and wounding of a large number of the band. 



Ot^d Santa Fe Trail 115 

Their scouts killed some four or five free-state men. 
Brown said his son Jason fought bravely by his 
side. The former was struck by a spent ball but 
it did him no serious injury. There were two other 
fights near Osawatomie in which he fought w^ell as 
a bush-whacker. The object of Brown's warfare 
was well understood by the slaves on the border 
and they would go to him for protection and he gave 
them support. He and his sons and their families 
had suffered greatly from the Border Ruffians. 
They went to Kansas with good motives and no 
one was ever molested by them on account of their 
sentiments, while attending to their legitimate av- 
ocations. The Border Ruffians murdered and rob- 
bed innocent settlers simply because they were 
emigrants from free-states. He and his sons had 
suffered terribly and his son Jason had been rid- 
dled with balls unexpectedly vv^iile unarmed, all on. 
account of the Democratic institution of slavery, 
which he was so conscientiously opposed to. It was 
no wonder the ire of the old man was wrought to a 
red heat. He took on himself an awful oath that 
from that time henceforth he would spend his re- 
maining days fighting the slave power; so he took a 
company of his young men and crossed the line 
into Missouii. A slave had visited him and inform- 
ed him that he, wife and two children were to be 
sold and taken away the following day. The man 
plead piteously for Brown to give them assistance. 
They surrounded the house and made the master a 
prisoner and then went to other houses and took 
eleven slaves, some wagons, horses and mules to 



116 What I Saw on the 

convey them in. They took two white men prison- 
ers and released^them when they got into Kansas. 
The slaves they took'up through Kansas, Nebraska 
and low^a. Brown's theory was that in taking the 
wagons and horses they were taking what justly 
belonged to the'slaves; at any rate the slaves were 
entitled to transportation. Enough free-state 
people were found along the line to give them 
shelter. It was mid winter and their travel was 
very slow and tedious. Attawa Jones, an Indian 
I knew^ well, gave Brown shelter, and ha.d assisted 
him many times before, but it had cost him nearly 
all he possessed. Brown reached Chatham, Cana- 
da, March 1859, with [his fugitives alive and w^ell. 
He came back to Cleveland, Ohio, and sold his 
horses and^mules at public sale. He had sent Cook 
to Harper's Ferry some time before he vrent. Cook 
became popular and had married a young lady in 
that locality. Brown made his appearance at 
Harper's Ferry about the 1st of July 1859. He was 
accompanied by his two sons, Owen and Oliver. 

I always felt a desire to visit Harper's Ferry. I 
had passed the place several times but always in 
the night and I could not see very much of the 
town from the train. A short time after the Civil 
War I made my arrangements to spend a day at 
Ka^rper's Ferry. I never spent a day that v^as of 
more interest. It is certainly one of the most ro- 
mantic places tlmt can be found. Here the She- 
nandoah forms a junction with the Potomac river, 
the forked railroad bridge, Marj^land Heights, with 
its perpendicular walls facing the town, Lowdon 



Old Santa Fe Tkail 117 

Heights across the Potomac river, Camp Hill, on 
which the town is built and the canal, all cluster so 
close together that all may be taken in at a glance. 
I employed a guide and ascended to the top of Mary- 
land Heights which reaches far above the surround- 
ing country. One can see as far as the eye can 
reach. The signal pole used by the army was 
still standing. Charleston, six miles distant in the 
valley was in plain view. On my arrival it was 
scarcely dayhght and I stood and gazed around at 
the wonderful place for quite a while. I went to a 
barber shop and got into a conversation with the 
barber, and found him to be an inteligent man. I 
told him my object in stopping was to gather infor- 
mation about the place paid especially incidents in 
regard to the John Brown insurrection. I found 
him very communicative, and he gave me a great 
deal of information, and said he was a prisoner of 
Brown's for a time. I m_et a Methodist minister 
who was well versed on the subject, and he took 
great pains in telhng me of the many incidents 
that took place. I saw the armory and engine house 
in which Brown was fortified and taken prisoner. 
A great deal that I have w^ritten so far I have taken 
from history, but I will give in detail the story that 
was told me the day I spent in that memorable place. 
When Brown and his two sons came to Harper's 
Ferry they gave the name of Isaac Smith and sons, 
they claimed to be from New York. They rented 
a farm and claimed that the boys were going into 
stock trading, and the old gentleman w^as a miner 
and w^ould devote his time to prospecting for ore. 



118 What I Saw on the 

He spent a great part of his time along tiie rivers 
and clambering over the hills. The m.en who 
Brown had enlisted spent most of their time on the 
farm reading and playing checkers. Brown sent 
for his daughter and a daughter-in-law to keep 
house on the farm. During this time Brown was 
making preparations, he was shipping arms by 
wagons to the farm getting in readiness. I was told 
that Brown organized a Sunday School and served 
as superintendent, everyone thought he was a 
devout Christian, he exercised a great influence 
over the young m.en of the community. He often 
lectured them^ for swearing or other bad habits; I 
think one of his men got a job as ferrymen. In the 
course of time Brown had quite a store of guns 
and pikes, the later intended for arming the ne- 
groes who he had expected to set free and enlist as 
soon as the attack was made, he had some eighteen 
white men and four negro men in concealment at 
the farm house. The neighborhood became sus- 
picious that all was not right at old Isaac Smiths 
house. A good man^^ strange white men had been 
seen and the negroes, they supposed were run- 
away slaves, being harbored there. The tune 
had about come when a blov\' must be struck. 
There was considerable objection to Brown's plans, 
his sons even was opposed to it, but the old man 
was as firm as a rock and nothing was left to do but 
carry out his plans. All this time Brown was con- 
ducting religious meetings at the little school house. 
On October the 16th, a Sunday morning, Brown 
was up early, called his men together and read a 



Old Santa Fe Trail 119 

chapter from the Bible and made a fervent i:)rayer 
for the success of their movement; they ate break- 
fast and Brown made a statement to his men. He 
said three men would stay and guard the house, he 
appointed his son Ow^en, Meriam and Coppoc, all 
the others were to go to Harpers Ferry as quietly 
as possible. Two were to guard the Potomac 
bridge, two were to seize the ferry. Instructions 
were given to cut the telegrapli wires, tw^o men 
were to guard the little brick engine house, a com- 
pany would take possession of the United States 
Armory, another company was to capture the rWAe 
works. The guards w^ere made prisoners, by that 
time the town was in Brown's possession. During 
the night it was dark and it had rained som.e, many 
of the citizens had not been awakened. The clerk 
of the Armory came to his office to do his days 
w^ork and found everything in the hands of a 
strange force of men. By this time they began to 
understand that it w^as the work of old Isaac Smith 
and his party. Owen Brown, Barclay and Coppoc 
were cutoff w^hile trying to move the arms from 
the farm and fled to the north, all the rest were 
either killed or executed on the gallows. During 
the day there w^as a large force of citizens who had 
armed themselves and had surrounded the town. 
Brown's men killed quite a number of citizens and 
some of the tow^n people w^ere killed. In the course 
of the day several companies from Maryland and 
Virginia arrived, and at the same time the guard 
at the rfflie works and all the rest were either 
killed or captured excepting two men who escaped. 



120 What I Saw on the 

The bodies of three of Bro^vn's men were badly 
mutilated and cast into the river, Brown gathered 
his wounded men and conveyed them into the en- 
gine house for protection. Six men were all he 
had that had not been wounded. Shots were fired 
through the port holes and one of^Brown's sons 
was shot and after suffering great agony died in a 
short time. Early in the evening Robert E. Lee 
and Lieutenant Stewart arrived from Washington 
with U. S. Marines. They entered the engine 
house with a hght and with a fiag of truce, Stewart 
at once recognized Brown, he asked if he was not 
John Brown of Kansas, Brown acknovrledged the 
identity. It was started that v^hiie Lee was in con- 
.sultation with Brov^n that one of Brown's men 
came into the engine house and told him a man had 
just been killed at the bridge, stopped talking with 
Lee and asked some questions and said it is my 
son and Vv-ent on talking. Brown's son v/ho had 
been mortally wounded in the engine house was 
suffering in great agony and plead to be put out of 
his misery, and Brown turned to him and said son 
be more patient, die like a man, you are dying in a 
good cause. The Marines vrith a battering ram 
knocked down the engine house door and crowded 
into the room v/hen Lieut. Green made at Brown 
with a sword and cutting his face and knocked him 
down and inflicted severe wounds at first believed 
would prove fatal, by that tim.e Henry S. Vv' ise, Gov. 
of Virginia and a lot of reporters entered the room. 
The Gov. asked Brown who are you and Brown 
said we are abolitionists, our object is to free your 



Old Santa Fe Trail 121 

slaves. A great crowd gathered around him and 
and asked many questions, about who sent you 
here and Brown said no one sent me. How long 
have you been in this business, his answer was I 
have always been opposed to slavery. Brown was 
told by Gov. Wise that he was an old man aad had 
better prepare to meet his God, for if the wounds 
didn't kill him, he would be tried and executed. 
Brown said we have eternity before us and eternity 
behind us and the difference between the alloted 
time for me and the time you have to prepare in 
this world is but a moment and I exhort you to 
prepare, you have a greater responsibility and you 
hp.d better be ready. Brown was taken to the 
Charleston jail, he was tried and convicted for 
treason and sentenced to death. The trial took 
place at Charleston six miles from Harpers Ferry, 
was opened on Oct. 26th, the verdict was read Nov. 
2. He denounced to the court his lawyers plea of 
insanity. He said I think that my great object will 
be nearer accomplished by my death than by my 
life. 

On the appointed day Brown was taken to the 
gallows. I had always understood by reading the 
accounts that Brown rode in a wagon, and it was 
sometimes stated that he rode on his cofnn, but 
they told me at Harper's Ferry that he asked the 
privilege to walk v>^ith the soldiers to the place of 
execution. He said he had been confined so long 
exercise would help him, he was allowed to walk 
he conversed all the way. He said he enjoyed the 
fresh air. He spake about what a beautiful valley 



122 What I Saw on the 

it was and said if he was farming he would hke to 
own a farm there. He spake about the picturesque 
hills it reminded him of Old Connecticut. 

At the appointed time Brown mounted the scaf- 
fold as quietly as if he had been setting up to din- 
ner, he did not exhibit the least excitement, not a 
muscle moved, not the least nervous excitement, 
his last moment was calm. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



JAMES H. LANE. 



James H. Lane was born in Lawrenceburg, Indi- 
ana, June 22d, 1814. He was admitted to the bar 
and served as a member of the city council of Law- 
renceburg. He enlisted in the Mexican War and 
served as a private in the 3rd Regiment, Ind. Vols., 
but was chosen Colonel of the 5th regiment and 
commanded a Brigade in the battle of Beuna Vista. 
He was elected Lieutenant-Governer of Indiana in 
1848. and in 1553-55 was a member of Congress. 
He was a brother of Henry S. Lane. He went to 
Kansas in 1855 and became a leader in the free-state 
party, and was active in driving out the Missouri 
invaders. He was prominent in the affairs of Kan- 
sas, being three times elected United States Sena- 
tor. He was a Brigadier General in the Civil War, 
and did good service in w^estern Missouri. 

During the Border Ruffian Warfare in Kansas he 
was the acknowledged leader in the cause of free- 
dom for Kansas; he fearlessly faced danger and 
held in check the bands of Border Ruffians who 



124 What I Saw on the 

were scouring the country. At that time a pro- 
slavery capital was established at Lecompton and 
Topeka was the capital of the free-state party. Gov- 
ernor Geary, of the pro-slavery party was con- 
stantly trying to reduce increasing free-state pop- 
ulation, but "Jim" Lane stood guard like a faithful 
watch-dog and protected the free-state people who 
went to Kansas, in good faith, to establish homes. 
They had taken claims and -were breaking prairie 
and were attending to their own business and did 
not interfere with any of their neighbors on ac- 
count of a political difference. The Border Ruffi- 
ans were not of the better class of Southerners, 
but were of a lower strata and cared but little about 
the real sentiment of the settlers. They were bands 
of organized out-laws, whose only motive wt-^s to 
drive out and outrage free-state settlers. When 
Lane drove them out of one locality they fled to an- 
other. They were not long in finding they were 
confronted by John Brown and Jim Lane w^ho were 
not the weak-kneed Yankees they had heard so 
much about. They had been told by men who were 
traveling over the slave states, that the free- state 
people were cowardly and would not stand fire; but 
in this they were greatly disappointed after they 
had run up against Brown and Lane, and others 
equally as brave, but of less notoriety. Finally the 
Missourians and other Southerners raised a force 
of 2,700 men for a final attack an the an ti- slavery 
strong hold of Lawrence. They were visited by the 
free-state men in force. Of course Lane and Brown 
were there. Brown made a short address to his 



Old Santa Fe Tkail 125 

men, and told them not to be in a hurry, to wait and 
be quiet, don't yell when they get in twenty-five 
yards. Get a good object, be sure you see the 
hind sight of your gun then fire. "Better aim at 
their legs than their heads, be sure you see the 
hind sights." Gen. Lane put Capt. Brown, with 
his free- state rangers in the advance guard. Some 
of Brown's men were armed with pikes and pitch- 
forks, and were placed in the rear. A brass can- 
non was brought out in support. There was but 
little firing; the Missourians, seeing that the free- 
state people were prepared and in earnest, with- 
drew in good order. One free-state man was killed. 
By this time so many free-state people had poured 
into the territory that the pro-slavery party could 
l^lainly see that slavery in Kansas was an impossi- 
bility. 

In this brief history of James H. Lane it will not 
be expected that more than a few of the details of 
the story can be given. A part of it I write from 
my personal recolection, items which I have never 
seen recorded in history, and which I believe will 
be in order. About the close of the border ruffian 
trouble Lane and another man whose name I can- 
not remember, had a dispute over the ownership of 
a claim at Lawrence. Lane had built a house and 
was in possession of it. There was a bitter feeling 
existing between the men. The man would visit 
Lane's house and carry water from the well. Lane 
finally forbid him from coming inside his door yard 
but he paid no attention to it and continued to get 
water at the well, so Lane nailed up the front gate. 



126 What I Saw on the 

The next time the man returned with two other 
men, all three were armed. Lane stood in his door 
with his revolver in hand and plead with the 
m^en not to enter; but the man broke open the gate 
advanced, Lane opened fire on him, and they fought 
a regular duel. Lane was a tall slim man and stood 
with his left side toward the man, so as to lessen 
the chances of being hit, after he had emptied his 
revolver he stepped back into the room and took 
down his double barrel shot gun which was heavily- 
loaded, he shot the man dead. Lane was given a 
trial and was acquitted, partly on the plea of self 
defense, and partly because he was confronting a 
mob, as three armed men constitutes a mob. So 
on this testimony the court exonorated Lane I sup- 
pose; few had warmer friends or w^orse enemies 
tha.n Lane had in Kansas, but on the whole he was 
popular. The free state people never forgot the 
protection he gave them during the border ruffian 
trouble. He seemed to be very successful as a 
pohtician, I do not remember that he was ever de- 
feated when he run for office. The last time he 
was elected United States Senator from Kansas, he 
was elected on a certain issue, but I do not re- 
member what it was. * 

It was said he voted against the issue tha.t he was 
elected on, which caused him to be censured by his 
constituents. \'\^ien he returned from Washington 
he met with a cold reception. He w^as a man of 
great sensibility, and his health was somewhat im- 
paired. At Leavenworth he and a friend took a 
ride to the country, on their return Lane's friend 



Old Santa Fe Trail 127 

who accompanied him halted at a house on business 
and left Lane sitting in the buggy. A pistol report 
was heard, Lane had committed suicide. So ended 
the life of a brave man, who had accomplished 
much, his life was abruptly ended. His mind had 
become unbalanced on account of poor health. He 
lost hope which is the anchor of life. 



LEJL '10 



